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

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 4.6% cheaper than Cheras without rent, and 34.5% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 2.7% more expensive than Cheras without rent, and 5.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 MYR 12.61

$3.45 MYR 13.99

-9.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.15 MYR 85.9

$19.21 MYR 78.0

10.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.33 MYR 17.57

$4.70 MYR 19.08

-7.87%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.63

$2.85 MYR 11.58

0.35%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$0.78 MYR 3.18

-6.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.48

$0.45 MYR 1.84

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.29 MYR 17.41

$4.69 MYR 19.04

-8.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MYR 17.73

$6.71 MYR 27.23

-34.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.63

$1.89 MYR 7.68

-0.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$0.99 MYR 4.04

1.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 MYR 8.07

$1.30 MYR 5.28

53.08%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.33

$2.11 MYR 8.55

-2.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.99 MYR 69.0

$15.18 MYR 61.6

11.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 MYR 21.02

$3.69 MYR 14.98

40.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 60.8

$7.71 MYR 31.31

94.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MYR 11.26

$2.65 MYR 10.75

4.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

$1.67 MYR 6.77

-13.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 MYR 10.96

$2.57 MYR 10.42

5.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MYR 8.47

$1.22 MYR 4.95

71.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$1.50 MYR 6.10

-24.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.97

$1.38 MYR 5.59

-11.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.84

$0.93 MYR 3.78

2.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.55 MYR 2.25

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 MYR 17.12

$4.25 MYR 17.24

-0.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.4

$14.02 MYR 56.9

37.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.63

$2.78 MYR 11.28

-5.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 MYR 14.21

$3.77 MYR 15.32

-7.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.85

$0.46 MYR 1.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.42 MYR 70.7

$23.41 MYR 95.0

-25.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$1.02 MYR 4.16

-31.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$1.03 MYR 4.17

-51.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 MYR 29.33

$9.20 MYR 37.34

-21.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.88

$0.49 MYR 2.00

-6.12%

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

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

$48.2K MYR 195.8K

-29.73%

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

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

$30.5K MYR 123.8K

-9.34%

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

$38.60 MYR 157

$40.34 MYR 164

-4.31%

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

$10.03 MYR 40.71

$8.93 MYR 36.27

12.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 MYR 125

$30.54 MYR 124

1.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.64 MYR 133

$41.07 MYR 167

-20.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.52 MYR 22.40

$5.93 MYR 24.09

-6.91%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$4.88 MYR 19.80

0.41%

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

$238 MYR 968

$185 MYR 753

28.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

$6,810 MYR 27.6K

-9.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MYR 226

$64.6 MYR 262

-13.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.29 MYR 119

$33.94 MYR 138

-13.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 MYR 245

$71.8 MYR 291

-15.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 MYR 214

$49.31 MYR 200

7.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 MYR 1,543

$1,421 MYR 5,768

-73.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 MYR 920

$696 MYR 2,825

-67.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$649 MYR 2,636

$642 MYR 2,607

1.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 MYR 2,113

$426 MYR 1,730

22.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 MYR 9,072

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 MYR 4,693

$1,303 MYR 5,292

-11.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$988 MYR 4,012

$1,361 MYR 5,527

-27.40%

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for Cheras: January 11, 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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