Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Johor Bahru Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Johor Bahru

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 15.8% more expensive than Johor Bahru without rent, and 10.5% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 13.9% more expensive than Johor Bahru without rent, and 4.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 MYR 12.13

$3.50 MYR 13.83

-12.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.19 MYR 83.7

$19.14 MYR 75.6

10.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.20 MYR 16.58

$4.73 MYR 18.67

-11.21%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 11.71

$3.02 MYR 11.93

-1.99%

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

$0.74 MYR 2.93

$0.78 MYR 3.08

-5.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.45

$0.48 MYR 1.91

-22.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 MYR 17.73

$3.50 MYR 13.83

28.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MYR 17.40

$6.75 MYR 26.68

-34.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 MYR 7.52

$1.87 MYR 7.37

1.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 3.92

$0.96 MYR 3.77

3.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MYR 8.11

$1.30 MYR 5.14

57.69%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.48

$1.84 MYR 7.26

16.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.37 MYR 68.6

$10.48 MYR 41.42

65.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 MYR 19.74

$3.41 MYR 13.45

46.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 MYR 58.8

$8.02 MYR 31.68

85.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MYR 10.96

$2.78 MYR 11.00

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.80

$1.52 MYR 6.02

-3.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.21

$2.47 MYR 9.77

4.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MYR 8.66

$1.24 MYR 4.91

76.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.50

$1.18 MYR 4.68

-3.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.75

$1.40 MYR 5.53

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 MYR 3.53

$0.96 MYR 3.78

-7.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MYR 1.93

$0.51 MYR 2.03

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 MYR 17.18

$4.18 MYR 16.51

4.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.52 MYR 77.1

$14.68 MYR 58.0

32.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.34

$2.66 MYR 10.50

-1.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 MYR 13.75

$3.03 MYR 11.96

14.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.80

$0.72 MYR 2.85

-36.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.36 MYR 68.6

$11.70 MYR 46.22

48.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$0.98 MYR 3.88

-30.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 1.98

$1.03 MYR 4.07

-51.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 MYR 28.39

$9.31 MYR 36.77

-22.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.96

$0.46 MYR 1.80

6.52%

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

$34.0K MYR 134.2K

$35.5K MYR 140.3K

-4.35%

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

$27.9K MYR 110.1K

$28.3K MYR 111.7K

-1.45%

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

$39.37 MYR 156

$41.48 MYR 164

-5.09%

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

$10.01 MYR 39.54

$9.13 MYR 36.07

9.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 MYR 124

$30.95 MYR 122

1.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.02 MYR 130

$35.11 MYR 139

-5.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.53 MYR 21.84

$6.05 MYR 23.90

-8.60%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 19.01

$5.08 MYR 20.08

-5.31%

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

$237 MYR 937

$187 MYR 740

26.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,252 MYR 24.7K

$6,960 MYR 27.5K

-10.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 214

$49.99 MYR 197

8.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.00 MYR 115

$19.17 MYR 75.7

51.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 MYR 247

$54.3 MYR 215

15.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MYR 207

$39.45 MYR 156

32.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MYR 1,556

$468 MYR 1,849

-15.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 910

$404 MYR 1,597

-43.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MYR 2,531

$827 MYR 3,267

-22.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$517 MYR 2,042

$606 MYR 2,395

-14.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,335 MYR 9,224

$2,142 MYR 8,459

9.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,703

$1,192 MYR 4,709

-0.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$974 MYR 3,849

$1,153 MYR 4,553

-15.46%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Johor Bahru: March 2, 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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