Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Cheras Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Cheras

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 0.9% cheaper than Cheras without rent, and 1.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 0.8% more expensive than Cheras without rent, and 8.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 MYR 12.13

$3.45 MYR 13.62

-11.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.19 MYR 83.7

$18.81 MYR 74.3

12.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.20 MYR 16.58

$4.57 MYR 18.05

-8.10%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 11.71

$2.92 MYR 11.54

1.37%

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

$0.74 MYR 2.93

$0.80 MYR 3.16

-7.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.45

$0.49 MYR 1.94

-24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 MYR 17.73

$4.60 MYR 18.16

-2.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MYR 17.40

$6.62 MYR 26.17

-33.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 MYR 7.52

$1.82 MYR 7.17

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 3.92

$0.94 MYR 3.72

5.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MYR 8.11

$1.23 MYR 4.87

66.67%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.48

$2.10 MYR 8.30

2.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.37 MYR 68.6

$15.59 MYR 61.6

11.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 MYR 19.74

$3.68 MYR 14.53

35.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 MYR 58.8

$7.34 MYR 28.98

102.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MYR 10.96

$2.68 MYR 10.57

3.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.80

$1.75 MYR 6.92

-16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.21

$2.46 MYR 9.70

4.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MYR 8.66

$1.27 MYR 5.00

72.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.50

$1.53 MYR 6.05

-25.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.75

$1.40 MYR 5.52

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 MYR 3.53

$0.89 MYR 3.52

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MYR 1.93

$0.52 MYR 2.05

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 MYR 17.18

$4.16 MYR 16.43

4.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.52 MYR 77.1

$14.58 MYR 57.6

33.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.34

$2.72 MYR 10.76

-3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 MYR 13.75

$3.90 MYR 15.41

-10.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.80

$0.49 MYR 1.95

-6.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.36 MYR 68.6

$11.97 MYR 47.27

45.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$0.99 MYR 3.91

-31.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 1.98

$0.99 MYR 3.90

-49.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 MYR 28.39

$9.05 MYR 35.77

-20.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.96

$0.47 MYR 1.84

4.26%

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

$34.0K MYR 134.2K

$47.9K MYR 189.3K

-29.11%

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

$27.9K MYR 110.1K

$30.7K MYR 121.4K

-9.31%

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

$39.37 MYR 156

$40.84 MYR 161

-3.60%

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

$10.01 MYR 39.54

$9.05 MYR 35.75

10.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 MYR 124

$31.17 MYR 123

0.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.02 MYR 130

$40.54 MYR 160

-18.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.53 MYR 21.84

$5.86 MYR 23.15

-5.63%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 19.01

$4.97 MYR 19.64

-3.22%

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

$237 MYR 937

$185 MYR 731

28.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,252 MYR 24.7K

$6,853 MYR 27.1K

-8.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 214

$64.1 MYR 253

-15.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.00 MYR 115

$33.70 MYR 133

-13.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 MYR 247

$74.3 MYR 293

-15.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MYR 207

$49.44 MYR 195

6.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MYR 1,556

$373 MYR 1,474

5.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 910

$237 MYR 938

-3.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MYR 2,531

$650 MYR 2,569

-1.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$517 MYR 2,042

$420 MYR 1,658

23.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,335 MYR 9,224

$1,650 MYR 6,519

41.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,703

$910 MYR 3,593

30.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$974 MYR 3,849

$1,542 MYR 6,091

-36.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

4.07

2.21%

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

Last update for Penang: March 2, 2026

Last update for Cheras: March 1, 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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