Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Bintulu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $852 a month against $922 in Penang, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Penang outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
Learn more

Penang Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
Learn more

Bintulu Living Index

Jump to prices

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$922

/mo nomad

Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Penang and in Bintulu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $922 in Penang versus $852 in Bintulu.

Penang $922
Bintulu $852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,412 in Penang versus $1,331 in Bintulu.

Penang $1,412
Bintulu $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,901 in Penang versus $1,810 in Bintulu.

Penang $1,901
Bintulu $1,810

Living in Penang is roughly 8% more expensive than in Bintulu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Penang 32% lower, Bintulu 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 MYR 15.33

$4.02 MYR 16.34

-6.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.80 MYR 80.4

$18.75 MYR 76.2

5.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MYR 19.07

$5.74 MYR 23.30

-18.12%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.26

$2.89 MYR 11.76

4.50%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.13

$0.68 MYR 2.77

13.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.49

$0.38 MYR 1.53

-2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 MYR 17.09

$2.99 MYR 12.13

40.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 MYR 18.38

$5.19 MYR 21.09

-12.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 MYR 7.24

$2.10 MYR 8.54

-15.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.28

$1.43 MYR 5.80

-26.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 6.97

$1.32 MYR 5.37

30.30%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.05

$2.21 MYR 8.96

0.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.81 MYR 56.1

$17.39 MYR 70.6

-20.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.09

$3.59 MYR 14.59

23.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 MYR 36.22

$5.95 MYR 24.16

49.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 MYR 12.29

$1.76 MYR 7.15

72.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.73

$1.00 MYR 4.05

66.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MYR 10.64

$1.71 MYR 6.93

53.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.74

$1.12 MYR 4.56

25.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 MYR 4.34

$0.55 MYR 2.24

94.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$1.19 MYR 4.85

-5.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.43

$0.75 MYR 3.04

45.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.19

$0.45 MYR 1.81

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.65 MYR 18.89

$4.11 MYR 16.70

13.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.43 MYR 78.9

$19.47 MYR 79.1

-0.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 MYR 12.14

$3.02 MYR 12.28

-0.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 MYR 21.89

$2.00 MYR 8.12

169.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$1.26 MYR 5.13

-59.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.16 MYR 49.38

$16.05 MYR 65.2

-24.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 MYR 6.92

$0.95 MYR 3.88

78.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 MYR 1.63

$0.82 MYR 3.32

-51.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 MYR 30.52

$2.51 MYR 10.18

199.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.80

$0.66 MYR 2.70

42.42%

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

$44.7K MYR 181.5K

$44.8K MYR 181.9K

-0.22%

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

$36.3K MYR 147.4K

$39.9K MYR 161.9K

-8.93%

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

$37.54 MYR 152

$59.5 MYR 242

-36.90%

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

$9.56 MYR 38.83

$31.54 MYR 128

-69.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.23 MYR 119

$30.82 MYR 125

-5.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.42 MYR 160

$68.5 MYR 278

-42.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.82 MYR 19.56

$12.11 MYR 49.17

-60.20%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MYR 20.18

$4.51 MYR 18.32

10.20%

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

$401 MYR 1,629

$125 MYR 507

221.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MYR 46.6K

$7,487 MYR 30.4K

53.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 MYR 247

$65.4 MYR 266

-6.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.72 MYR 141

$35.43 MYR 144

-2.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 MYR 337

$78.3 MYR 318

5.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 MYR 283

$92.1 MYR 374

-24.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 MYR 1,682

$224 MYR 909

84.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 MYR 1,194

$156 MYR 634

88.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$703 MYR 2,855

$474 MYR 1,927

48.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 MYR 2,176

$335 MYR 1,361

59.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,142 MYR 8,698

$1,775 MYR 7,211

20.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,255 MYR 5,096

$1,172 MYR 4,760

7.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$927 MYR 3,764

$613 MYR 2,489

51.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

4.5

-5.78%

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

Last update for Penang: November 3, 2026

Last update for Bintulu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Penang

$294 31.9%

Bintulu

$156 18.3% 46.9% $138

Groceries & Markets

Penang

$258 28%

Bintulu

$235 27.6% 8.9% $23

Eating Out

Penang

$115 12.5%

Bintulu

$114 13.3% 1.3% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Penang

$112 12.1%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 9.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penang

$76 8.3%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 59.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Penang

$49 5.4%

Bintulu

$78 9.1% 57.1% $28

Getting Around

Penang

$18 1.9%

Bintulu

$26 3.1% 46.1% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $414 in Penang and $224 in Bintulu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays 51% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Penang vs $19 in Bintulu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $235 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Penang

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🕒 Local time

20:29 8:29 PM

Same time as Penang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,336

240,172

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Penang Bintulu 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Penang
Bintulu

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

Penang vs Bintulu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Penang. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 51% higher in Penang, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $414 in Penang versus $224 in Bintulu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $922 per month in Penang versus $852 in Bintulu – Bintulu is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Penang runs roughly 24% less than in Bintulu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bintulu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Penang and Bintulu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bintulu wins on affordability, Penang on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.