Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muar and Penang

For one person, living costs are similar in Muar and in Penang: $951 and $913 a month, rent and utilities included.

48

Cost of Living Index in Muar
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Muar Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

Jump to prices

Muar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$951

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Muar and in Penang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Muar and in Penang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $951 in Muar versus $913 in Penang.

Muar $951
Penang $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,505 in Muar versus $1,403 in Penang.

Muar $1,505
Penang $1,403

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,059 in Muar versus $1,894 in Penang.

Muar $2,059
Penang $1,894

Living in Muar is roughly 4% more expensive than in Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Muar 30% lower, Penang 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.82 MYR 19.72

$3.73 MYR 15.23

29.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.01 MYR 119

$19.91 MYR 81.4

45.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.88 MYR 15.86

$4.78 MYR 19.54

-18.83%

Cappuccino

$3.05 MYR 12.46

$2.98 MYR 12.19

2.35%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 MYR 3.12

$0.75 MYR 3.08

1.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 MYR 1.88

$0.37 MYR 1.50

24.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.44 MYR 18.14

$4.06 MYR 16.60

9.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 MYR 25.63

$4.38 MYR 17.89

43.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 MYR 8.72

$1.86 MYR 7.62

14.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 MYR 4.37

$1.08 MYR 4.42

-0.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 MYR 7.58

$1.76 MYR 7.22

5.11%

Eggs

$2.44 MYR 9.96

$2.22 MYR 9.07

9.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.25 MYR 58.3

$13.46 MYR 55.0

5.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 MYR 18.17

$4.45 MYR 18.20

-0.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 MYR 40.68

$8.70 MYR 35.57

14.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 MYR 13.75

$2.92 MYR 11.93

15.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 MYR 7.55

$1.65 MYR 6.74

12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 MYR 9.19

$2.61 MYR 10.67

-13.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.19

$1.40 MYR 5.72

7.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.97

$1.05 MYR 4.30

16.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 MYR 5.60

$1.12 MYR 4.57

22.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 MYR 4.74

$1.10 MYR 4.49

5.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MYR 2.91

$0.59 MYR 2.40

20.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MYR 18.19

$4.69 MYR 19.16

-5.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.48 MYR 79.7

$19.31 MYR 79.0

0.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 MYR 14.24

$3.00 MYR 12.28

16.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 MYR 20.42

$5.41 MYR 22.11

-7.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MYR 2.63

$0.50 MYR 2.05

28.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.62 MYR 43.43

$12.03 MYR 49.17

-11.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.66 MYR 6.80

-28.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$0.38 MYR 1.55

228.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 MYR 19.93

$7.47 MYR 30.54

-34.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.32

$0.95 MYR 3.86

-14.74%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$44.4K MYR 181.6K

$44.2K MYR 180.7K

0.54%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.9K MYR 142.5K

$35.8K MYR 146.2K

-2.51%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$62.0 MYR 254

$36.68 MYR 150

69.11%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.88 MYR 36.32

$9.56 MYR 39.07

-7.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 MYR 107

$29.49 MYR 121

-11.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.02 MYR 151

$39.20 MYR 160

-5.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 MYR 23.66

$4.85 MYR 19.85

19.38%

Cinema Ticket

$4.85 MYR 19.83

$4.78 MYR 19.54

1.46%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$240 MYR 981

$398 MYR 1,626

-39.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K MYR 54.5K

$10.6K MYR 43.4K

25.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MYR 295

$60.9 MYR 249

18.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.83 MYR 171

$35.45 MYR 145

18.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 MYR 345

$83.6 MYR 342

0.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 MYR 394

$70.2 MYR 287

37.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 MYR 1,818

$408 MYR 1,668

8.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 MYR 1,033

$287 MYR 1,174

-12.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 MYR 2,521

$698 MYR 2,852

-11.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$518 MYR 2,117

$534 MYR 2,184

-3.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,001 MYR 8,180

$2,117 MYR 8,653

-5.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 MYR 5,023

$1,261 MYR 5,155

-2.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$603 MYR 2,465

$931 MYR 3,808

-35.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

4.04

3.22%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Muar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Muar

$274 28.9%

Penang

$257 28.2% 6.2% $17

Accommodation & Living

Muar

$253 26.6%

Penang

$287 31.5% 13.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Muar

$133 14%

Penang

$113 12.3% 15.1% $20

Eating Out

Muar

$126 13.3%

Penang

$113 12.4% 10.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muar

$97 10.2%

Penang

$76 8.3% 22% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Muar

$47 4.9%

Penang

$49 5.3% 4.4% $2

Getting Around

Muar

$21 2.2%

Penang

$18 1.9% 14.7% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $445 in Muar and $408 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays 55% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29 in Muar vs $20 in Penang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $257 per month, with Penang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Muar

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

Same time as Muar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

314,776

158,336

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Muar Penang 450 km

From you

Muar
Penang

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Muar vs Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Muar and Penang differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($951 vs $913 including rent). Penang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Muar. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $445 in Muar versus $408 in Penang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Muar runs roughly 12% less than in Penang. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $240 in Muar versus $398 in Penang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Muar and Penang are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.