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

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 1.7% more expensive than Butterworth without rent, and 1% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Penang is 6.3% cheaper than Butterworth without rent, and 7.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 MYR 12.13

$3.13 MYR 12.36

-1.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.19 MYR 83.7

$20.92 MYR 82.6

1.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.20 MYR 16.58

$4.77 MYR 18.85

-11.95%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 11.71

$2.97 MYR 11.72

-0.34%

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

$0.74 MYR 2.93

$0.73 MYR 2.87

1.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.45

$0.36 MYR 1.42

2.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 MYR 17.73

$4.18 MYR 16.50

7.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MYR 17.40

$4.39 MYR 17.35

0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 MYR 7.52

$1.81 MYR 7.14

4.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 3.92

$1.03 MYR 4.06

-3.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MYR 8.11

$1.68 MYR 6.62

22.02%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.48

$2.15 MYR 8.50

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.37 MYR 68.6

$14.52 MYR 57.4

19.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 MYR 19.74

$4.77 MYR 18.86

4.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 MYR 58.8

$9.41 MYR 37.16

58.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MYR 10.96

$2.88 MYR 11.36

-3.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.80

$1.45 MYR 5.73

1.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.21

$2.61 MYR 10.31

-1.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MYR 8.66

$1.53 MYR 6.06

43.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.50

$1.18 MYR 4.66

-3.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.75

$1.17 MYR 4.61

2.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 MYR 3.53

$0.95 MYR 3.75

-6.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MYR 1.93

$0.46 MYR 1.81

6.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 MYR 17.18

$4.27 MYR 16.88

1.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.52 MYR 77.1

$18.85 MYR 74.4

3.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.34

$2.70 MYR 10.66

-2.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 MYR 13.75

$3.50 MYR 13.81

-0.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.80

$0.68 MYR 2.67

-32.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.36 MYR 68.6

$11.60 MYR 45.84

49.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$0.70 MYR 2.75

-2.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 1.98

$0.50 MYR 1.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 MYR 28.39

$4.66 MYR 18.40

54.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.96

$0.46 MYR 1.82

6.52%

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

$34.0K MYR 134.2K

$33.5K MYR 132.2K

1.48%

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

$27.9K MYR 110.1K

$27.1K MYR 107.0K

2.84%

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

$39.37 MYR 156

$39.04 MYR 154

0.85%

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

$10.01 MYR 39.54

$10.18 MYR 40.21

-1.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 MYR 124

$26.07 MYR 103

20.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.02 MYR 130

$36.80 MYR 145

-10.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.53 MYR 21.84

$5.80 MYR 22.92

-4.66%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 19.01

$4.92 MYR 19.44

-2.24%

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

$237 MYR 937

$239 MYR 944

-0.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,252 MYR 24.7K

$6,196 MYR 24.5K

0.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 214

$55.9 MYR 221

-2.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.00 MYR 115

$29.37 MYR 116

-1.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 MYR 247

$62.1 MYR 245

0.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MYR 207

$52.3 MYR 206

0.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MYR 1,556

$381 MYR 1,507

3.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 910

$275 MYR 1,085

-16.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MYR 2,531

$632 MYR 2,497

1.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$517 MYR 2,042

$475 MYR 1,877

8.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,335 MYR 9,224

$1,531 MYR 6,046

52.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,703

$963 MYR 3,802

23.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$974 MYR 3,849

$994 MYR 3,928

-2.01%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Butterworth: February 28, 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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