Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Butterworth Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Butterworth

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 3.5% cheaper than Butterworth without rent, and 0.8% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 21.7% more expensive than Butterworth without rent, and 7.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 MYR 12.61

$3.03 MYR 12.32

2.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.15 MYR 85.9

$21.40 MYR 86.9

-1.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.33 MYR 17.57

$4.63 MYR 18.80

-6.48%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.63

$2.93 MYR 11.91

-2.39%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$0.73 MYR 2.95

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.48

$0.33 MYR 1.35

9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.29 MYR 17.41

$4.30 MYR 17.47

-0.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MYR 17.73

$4.36 MYR 17.72

0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.63

$1.82 MYR 7.40

3.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$0.99 MYR 4.03

1.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 MYR 8.07

$1.65 MYR 6.70

20.61%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.33

$2.06 MYR 8.37

-0.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.99 MYR 69.0

$14.39 MYR 58.4

18.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 MYR 21.02

$4.66 MYR 18.93

11.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 60.8

$9.60 MYR 38.98

55.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MYR 11.26

$2.78 MYR 11.29

-0.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

$1.49 MYR 6.06

-3.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 MYR 10.96

$2.71 MYR 11.00

-0.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MYR 8.47

$1.52 MYR 6.18

37.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.97

$1.20 MYR 4.87

1.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.84

$0.95 MYR 3.85

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.48 MYR 1.96

-6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 MYR 17.12

$4.33 MYR 17.58

-2.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.4

$18.75 MYR 76.1

2.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.63

$2.66 MYR 10.79

-1.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 MYR 14.21

$3.41 MYR 13.86

2.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.85

$0.69 MYR 2.81

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.42 MYR 70.7

$11.60 MYR 47.11

50.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$0.73 MYR 2.95

-4.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$0.53 MYR 2.16

-5.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 MYR 29.33

$4.66 MYR 18.94

55.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.88

$0.46 MYR 1.87

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

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

$33.1K MYR 134.5K

2.24%

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

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

$27.4K MYR 111.1K

1.09%

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

$38.60 MYR 157

$38.24 MYR 155

0.94%

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

$10.03 MYR 40.71

$10.06 MYR 40.86

-0.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 MYR 125

$25.34 MYR 103

21.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.64 MYR 133

$37.51 MYR 152

-12.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.52 MYR 22.40

$5.96 MYR 24.18

-7.38%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$5.02 MYR 20.37

-2.39%

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

$238 MYR 968

$234 MYR 949

1.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

$6,297 MYR 25.6K

-2.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MYR 226

$55.4 MYR 225

0.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.29 MYR 119

$28.79 MYR 117

1.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 MYR 245

$60.5 MYR 246

-0.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 MYR 214

$52.2 MYR 212

1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 MYR 1,543

$383 MYR 1,553

-0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 MYR 920

$274 MYR 1,111

-17.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$649 MYR 2,636

$657 MYR 2,666

-1.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 MYR 2,113

$468 MYR 1,901

11.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 MYR 9,072

$1,588 MYR 6,446

40.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 MYR 4,693

$951 MYR 3,861

21.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$988 MYR 4,012

$957 MYR 3,884

3.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

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

Last update for Penang: January 13, 2026

Last update for Butterworth: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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