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

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 0.3% cheaper than Johor Bahru without rent, and 11.2% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 26.3% more expensive than Johor Bahru without rent, and 6.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 MYR 12.54

$3.62 MYR 15.28

-17.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 MYR 87.9

$18.97 MYR 80

9.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.34 MYR 18.32

$4.74 MYR 20

-8.44%

Cappuccino

$2.84 MYR 11.97

$2.99 MYR 12.62

-5.02%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.89

$0.8 MYR 3.38

-13.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.52

$0.48 MYR 2.04

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.84

$3.47 MYR 14.64

21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MYR 18.6

$6.68 MYR 28.17

-33.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.65

$1.86 MYR 7.86

-2.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 4.18

$0.93 MYR 3.91

6.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.62

$1.24 MYR 5.22

64.52%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

$1.81 MYR 7.64

13.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 MYR 72.2

$10.66 MYR 44.96

60.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.23 MYR 22.05

$3.4 MYR 14.33

53.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 MYR 62.3

$8.2 MYR 34.57

80.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 MYR 12.25

$2.67 MYR 11.24

8.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 6.18

$1.45 MYR 6.11

0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.92

$2.57 MYR 10.83

0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 MYR 8.88

$1.22 MYR 5.14

72.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.98

$1.19 MYR 5.01

-0.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.1

$1.33 MYR 5.62

-9.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 MYR 3.82

$0.9 MYR 3.81

1.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.91

$0.55 MYR 2.34

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.73

$4.11 MYR 17.32

2.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.1 MYR 59.5

$14.18 MYR 59.8

-0.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.44

$2.7 MYR 11.37

0.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.65

$2.9 MYR 12.22

19.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 MYR 2.05

$0.7 MYR 2.95

-30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.98 MYR 75.8

$11.92 MYR 50.3

50.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 MYR 3.04

$1.02 MYR 4.28

-29.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.5 MYR 2.1

$1.03 MYR 4.34

-51.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7 MYR 29.53

$9.07 MYR 38.25

-22.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.96

$0.5 MYR 2.11

-8.00%

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

$33.6K MYR 141.7K

$35.4K MYR 149.3K

-5.11%

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

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

$27.4K MYR 115.6K

-1.12%

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

$39.21 MYR 165

$40.76 MYR 172

-3.80%

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

$10.33 MYR 43.55

$8.96 MYR 37.77

15.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 MYR 131

$31.37 MYR 132

-0.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.59 MYR 137

$35.46 MYR 150

-8.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.59 MYR 23.59

$5.72 MYR 24.11

-2.27%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 21.15

$4.89 MYR 20.63

2.45%

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

$241 MYR 1,014

$189 MYR 797

27.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,174 MYR 26K

$6,908 MYR 29.1K

-10.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 MYR 233

$49.24 MYR 208

12.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 MYR 120

$18.75 MYR 79.1

51.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 MYR 258

$54.9 MYR 231

11.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 MYR 226

$40.31 MYR 170

33.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 MYR 1,637

$472 MYR 1,991

-17.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 968

$400 MYR 1,687

-42.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 MYR 2,700

$845 MYR 3,563

-24.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 MYR 2,201

$599 MYR 2,528

-12.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

$1,824 MYR 7,692

33.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 MYR 6,247

$1,292 MYR 5,447

14.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 MYR 4,643

$1,008 MYR 4,252

9.21%

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: October 26, 2025

Last update for Johor Bahru: October 28, 2025

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