Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and George Town Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and George Town

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 8.5% cheaper than George Town without rent, and 2.8% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 25.8% more expensive than George Town without rent, and 4.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 MYR 12.54

$3.05 MYR 12.84

-2.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 MYR 87.9

$21.23 MYR 89.5

-1.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.34 MYR 18.32

$4.14 MYR 17.45

4.83%

Cappuccino

$2.84 MYR 11.97

$2.61 MYR 11

8.81%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.89

$0.77 MYR 3.25

-10.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.52

$0.34 MYR 1.41

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.84

$4.18 MYR 17.64

1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MYR 18.6

$4.84 MYR 20.41

-8.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.65

$1.89 MYR 7.97

-3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 4.18

$1.13 MYR 4.76

-12.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.62

$1.62 MYR 6.82

25.93%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

$2.03 MYR 8.56

0.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 MYR 72.2

$17.26 MYR 72.8

-0.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.23 MYR 22.05

$5.03 MYR 21.22

3.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 MYR 62.3

$10.66 MYR 44.94

38.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 MYR 12.25

$2.84 MYR 11.96

2.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 6.18

$1.4 MYR 5.89

4.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.92

$2.19 MYR 9.23

18.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 MYR 8.88

$1.25 MYR 5.29

68.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.98

$0.9 MYR 3.8

31.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.1

$1.2 MYR 5.08

0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 MYR 3.82

$0.69 MYR 2.92

31.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.91

$0.51 MYR 2.17

-11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.73

$4.03 MYR 16.99

4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.1 MYR 59.5

$14.23 MYR 60

-0.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.44

$2.63 MYR 11.08

3.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.65

$3.52 MYR 14.86

-1.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 MYR 2.05

$0.49 MYR 2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.98 MYR 75.8

$11.73 MYR 49.47

53.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 MYR 3.04

$1.21 MYR 5.12

-40.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.5 MYR 2.1

$0.47 MYR 1.99

6.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7 MYR 29.53

$6.36 MYR 26.84

10.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.96

$0.47 MYR 1.98

-2.13%

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

$33.6K MYR 141.7K

$33K MYR 139.1K

1.86%

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

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

$25.2K MYR 106.3K

7.51%

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

$39.21 MYR 165

$38.24 MYR 161

2.54%

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

$10.33 MYR 43.55

$9.69 MYR 40.84

6.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 MYR 131

$29.66 MYR 125

5.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.59 MYR 137

$38.86 MYR 164

-16.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.59 MYR 23.59

$3.82 MYR 16.11

46.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 21.15

$4.07 MYR 17.15

23.10%

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

$241 MYR 1,014

$150 MYR 631

60.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,174 MYR 26K

$4,628 MYR 19.5K

33.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 MYR 233

$51 MYR 215

8.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 MYR 120

$29.38 MYR 124

-3.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 MYR 258

$60.3 MYR 254

1.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 MYR 226

$52.6 MYR 222

1.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 MYR 1,637

$368 MYR 1,552

5.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 968

$261 MYR 1,102

-12.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 MYR 2,700

$719 MYR 3,033

-11.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 MYR 2,201

$490 MYR 2,066

6.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

$1,676 MYR 7,067

45.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 MYR 6,247

$1,194 MYR 5,035

24.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 MYR 4,643

$1,131 MYR 4,770

-2.67%

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 George Town: October 28, 2025

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