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

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 4.5% cheaper than Ipoh without rent, and 5.2% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 17.2% more expensive than Ipoh without rent, and 9.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 MYR 12.54

$2.64 MYR 11.12

12.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 MYR 87.9

$19 MYR 80.1

9.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.34 MYR 18.32

$3.73 MYR 15.71

16.35%

Cappuccino

$2.84 MYR 11.97

$2.23 MYR 9.39

27.35%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.89

$0.78 MYR 3.29

-11.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.52

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.84

$3.5 MYR 14.78

20.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MYR 18.6

$4.54 MYR 19.13

-2.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.65

$1.91 MYR 8.04

-4.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 4.18

$1.04 MYR 4.37

-4.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.62

$1.32 MYR 5.56

54.55%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

$1.89 MYR 7.95

8.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 MYR 72.2

$12.87 MYR 54.3

32.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.23 MYR 22.05

$5.25 MYR 22.15

-0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 MYR 62.3

$7.79 MYR 32.83

89.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 MYR 12.25

$2.88 MYR 12.12

1.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 6.18

$1.78 MYR 7.53

-17.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.92

$3.05 MYR 12.87

-15.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 MYR 8.88

$2.09 MYR 8.8

0.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.98

$1.5 MYR 6.33

-21.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.1

$1.33 MYR 5.62

-9.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 MYR 3.82

$1.65 MYR 6.95

-44.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.91

$0.46 MYR 1.94

-2.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.73

$4.13 MYR 17.4

1.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.1 MYR 59.5

$16.43 MYR 69.3

-14.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.44

$3.51 MYR 14.82

-22.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.65

$4.27 MYR 18

-18.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 MYR 2.05

$0.74 MYR 3.12

-33.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.98 MYR 75.8

$11.83 MYR 49.9

51.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 MYR 3.04

$1.15 MYR 4.83

-37.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.5 MYR 2.1

$1.13 MYR 4.78

-55.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7 MYR 29.53

$4.38 MYR 18.46

59.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.96

$0.46 MYR 1.93

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

$33.6K MYR 141.7K

$43.7K MYR 184.1K

-23.04%

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

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

$31.1K MYR 131.2K

-12.89%

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

$39.21 MYR 165

$64.5 MYR 272

-39.17%

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

$10.33 MYR 43.55

$9.63 MYR 40.59

7.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 MYR 131

$28.28 MYR 119

10.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.59 MYR 137

$23.18 MYR 97.7

40.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.59 MYR 23.59

$6.03 MYR 25.43

-7.30%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 21.15

$3.02 MYR 12.75

65.89%

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

$241 MYR 1,014

$119 MYR 503

101.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,174 MYR 26K

$2,370 MYR 9,994

160.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 MYR 233

$58.1 MYR 245

-4.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 MYR 120

$27.54 MYR 116

3.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 MYR 258

$74.1 MYR 313

-17.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 MYR 226

$52.1 MYR 220

2.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 MYR 1,637

$392 MYR 1,653

-0.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 968

$267 MYR 1,125

-13.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 MYR 2,700

$657 MYR 2,770

-2.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 MYR 2,201

$474 MYR 2,000

10.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

$1,585 MYR 6,684

53.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 MYR 6,247

$1,229 MYR 5,185

20.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 MYR 4,643

$932 MYR 3,929

18.16%

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: October 26, 2025

Last update for Ipoh: October 29, 2025

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