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

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 20.3% more expensive than George Town without rent, and 2.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 6.5% more expensive than George Town without rent, and 4.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 MYR 12.61

$3.02 MYR 12.25

2.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.15 MYR 85.9

$21.51 MYR 87.3

-1.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.33 MYR 17.57

$4.12 MYR 16.75

5.10%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.63

$2.48 MYR 10.06

15.32%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$0.78 MYR 3.17

-6.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.48

$0.37 MYR 1.49

-2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.29 MYR 17.41

$4.32 MYR 17.54

-0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MYR 17.73

$4.78 MYR 19.42

-8.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.63

$1.88 MYR 7.61

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$1.08 MYR 4.39

-7.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 MYR 8.07

$1.67 MYR 6.79

19.16%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.33

$2.03 MYR 8.24

0.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.99 MYR 69.0

$17.25 MYR 70.0

-1.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 MYR 21.02

$4.90 MYR 19.88

5.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 60.8

$10.74 MYR 43.62

39.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MYR 11.26

$2.79 MYR 11.33

-0.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

$1.39 MYR 5.65

3.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 MYR 10.96

$2.27 MYR 9.20

18.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MYR 8.47

$1.26 MYR 5.11

65.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$0.88 MYR 3.58

28.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.97

$1.20 MYR 4.89

1.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.84

$0.70 MYR 2.83

35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.54 MYR 2.21

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 MYR 17.12

$4.06 MYR 16.49

3.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.4

$12.54 MYR 50.9

53.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.63

$2.63 MYR 10.68

-0.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 MYR 14.21

$3.52 MYR 14.30

-0.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.85

$0.45 MYR 1.83

2.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.42 MYR 70.7

$11.83 MYR 48.04

47.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$1.15 MYR 4.68

-39.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$0.43 MYR 1.74

16.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 MYR 29.33

$6.29 MYR 25.52

14.94%

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

$33.9K MYR 137.5K

0.06%

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

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

$25.0K MYR 101.5K

10.57%

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

$38.60 MYR 157

$38.07 MYR 155

1.39%

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

$10.03 MYR 40.71

$9.76 MYR 39.62

2.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 MYR 125

$29.50 MYR 120

4.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.64 MYR 133

$38.70 MYR 157

-15.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.52 MYR 22.40

$3.75 MYR 15.23

47.20%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$3.95 MYR 16.05

24.05%

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

$238 MYR 968

$152 MYR 618

56.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

$4,565 MYR 18.5K

34.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MYR 226

$52.1 MYR 211

6.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.29 MYR 119

$28.68 MYR 116

2.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 MYR 245

0.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 MYR 214

$52.3 MYR 213

0.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 MYR 1,543

$368 MYR 1,494

3.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 MYR 920

$261 MYR 1,059

-13.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$649 MYR 2,636

$725 MYR 2,944

-10.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 MYR 2,113

$498 MYR 2,022

4.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 MYR 9,072

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 MYR 4,693

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$988 MYR 4,012

$1,172 MYR 4,757

-15.64%

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for George Town: January 13, 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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