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

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 6.1% cheaper than Butterworth without rent, and 1.4% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 8% more expensive than Butterworth without rent, and 6.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 MYR 12.54

$3.08 MYR 13.01

-3.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 MYR 87.9

$21.52 MYR 90.7

-3.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.34 MYR 18.32

$4.83 MYR 20.38

-10.14%

Cappuccino

$2.84 MYR 11.97

$2.95 MYR 12.42

-3.73%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.89

$0.69 MYR 2.92

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.52

$0.37 MYR 1.55

-2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.84

$4.12 MYR 17.36

2.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MYR 18.6

$4.51 MYR 19.03

-2.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.65

$1.82 MYR 7.67

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 4.18

$1.03 MYR 4.35

-3.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.62

$1.72 MYR 7.26

18.60%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

$2.06 MYR 8.67

-0.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 MYR 72.2

$14.78 MYR 62.3

15.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.23 MYR 22.05

$4.76 MYR 20.07

9.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 MYR 62.3

$9.91 MYR 41.79

49.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 MYR 12.25

$2.81 MYR 11.85

3.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 6.18

$1.44 MYR 6.06

1.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.92

$2.69 MYR 11.35

-3.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 MYR 8.88

$1.51 MYR 6.35

39.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.98

$1.18 MYR 5

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.1

$1.18 MYR 4.96

2.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 MYR 3.82

$0.96 MYR 4.05

-5.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.73

$4.29 MYR 18.07

-2.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.1 MYR 59.5

$14.51 MYR 61.2

-2.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.44

$2.69 MYR 11.35

0.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.65

$3.42 MYR 14.42

1.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 MYR 2.05

$0.68 MYR 2.88

-27.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.98 MYR 75.8

$11.73 MYR 49.48

53.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 MYR 3.04

$0.68 MYR 2.89

5.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.5 MYR 2.1

$0.53 MYR 2.25

-5.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7 MYR 29.53

$4.67 MYR 19.68

49.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.96

$0.5 MYR 2.11

-8.00%

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

$33.6K MYR 141.7K

$34.1K MYR 143.9K

-1.55%

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

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

$27.6K MYR 116.3K

-1.74%

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

$39.21 MYR 165

$38.73 MYR 163

1.24%

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

$10.33 MYR 43.55

$10.33 MYR 43.57

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 MYR 131

$25.77 MYR 109

20.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.59 MYR 137

$36.76 MYR 155

-11.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.59 MYR 23.59

$5.85 MYR 24.67

-4.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 21.15

$4.89 MYR 20.6

2.45%

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

$241 MYR 1,014

$236 MYR 997

1.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,174 MYR 26K

$6,153 MYR 25.9K

0.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 MYR 233

$55 MYR 232

0.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 MYR 120

$29.05 MYR 123

-2.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 MYR 258

-0.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 MYR 226

$52.7 MYR 222

1.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 MYR 1,637

$391 MYR 1,647

-0.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 968

$268 MYR 1,128

-14.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 MYR 2,700

$654 MYR 2,757

-2.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 MYR 2,201

$481 MYR 2,027

8.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

$1,596 MYR 6,729

52.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 MYR 6,247

$1,068 MYR 4,502

38.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 MYR 4,643

$940 MYR 3,965

17.12%

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: October 26, 2025

Last update for Butterworth: October 29, 2025

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