Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Ipoh Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Ipoh

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 13.1% more expensive than Ipoh without rent, and 0.6% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Penang is 2% cheaper than Ipoh without rent, and 7.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 MYR 12.10

$2.55 MYR 10.04

20.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.19 MYR 83.5

$18.97 MYR 74.8

11.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.20 MYR 16.53

$3.79 MYR 14.95

10.82%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 11.68

$2.32 MYR 9.13

27.59%

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

$0.74 MYR 2.92

$0.77 MYR 3.03

-3.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.44

$0.34 MYR 1.33

8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 MYR 17.69

$3.64 MYR 14.34

23.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MYR 17.35

$4.60 MYR 18.11

-4.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 MYR 7.50

$1.84 MYR 7.25

3.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 3.91

$1.03 MYR 4.05

-3.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MYR 8.09

$1.29 MYR 5.09

58.91%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.46

$1.85 MYR 7.28

16.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.37 MYR 68.4

$12.98 MYR 51.2

33.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 MYR 19.69

$5.13 MYR 20.22

-2.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 MYR 58.6

$7.73 MYR 30.44

92.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MYR 10.93

$2.87 MYR 11.30

-3.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.79

$1.72 MYR 6.78

-14.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.18

$2.98 MYR 11.74

-13.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MYR 8.64

$2.02 MYR 7.94

8.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.49

$1.44 MYR 5.66

-20.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.73

$1.34 MYR 5.28

-10.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 MYR 3.52

$1.58 MYR 6.23

-43.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MYR 1.93

$0.42 MYR 1.65

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 MYR 17.13

$4.19 MYR 16.51

3.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.52 MYR 76.9

$17.62 MYR 69.4

10.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.32

$3.46 MYR 13.61

-24.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 MYR 13.71

$4.26 MYR 16.79

-18.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.80

$0.69 MYR 2.73

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.36 MYR 68.4

$11.96 MYR 47.13

45.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$1.15 MYR 4.55

-40.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 1.98

$1.13 MYR 4.46

-55.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 MYR 28.32

$4.42 MYR 17.43

62.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.95

$0.50 MYR 1.97

-2.00%

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

$34.0K MYR 133.9K

$43.9K MYR 173.1K

-22.67%

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

$27.9K MYR 109.8K

$31.2K MYR 122.8K

-10.54%

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

$39.37 MYR 155

$64.2 MYR 253

-38.70%

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

$10.01 MYR 39.44

$9.34 MYR 36.80

7.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 MYR 124

$28.58 MYR 113

10.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.02 MYR 130

$23.38 MYR 92.1

41.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.53 MYR 21.78

$5.93 MYR 23.36

-6.75%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 18.96

$3.11 MYR 12.26

54.66%

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

$237 MYR 934

$117 MYR 461

102.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,252 MYR 24.6K

$2,325 MYR 9,160

168.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 214

$59.6 MYR 235

-8.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.00 MYR 114

$27.28 MYR 108

6.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 MYR 246

$76.0 MYR 299

-17.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MYR 207

$52.2 MYR 206

0.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MYR 1,552

$381 MYR 1,503

3.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 907

$270 MYR 1,065

-14.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MYR 2,524

$637 MYR 2,509

0.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$517 MYR 2,037

$478 MYR 1,883

8.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,335 MYR 9,201

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,691

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$974 MYR 3,839

$973 MYR 3,832

0.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

3.96

5.05%

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

Last update for Penang: March 2, 2026

Last update for Ipoh: 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

Similar cities

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

Minsk

🇧🇾 Belarus

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil