Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Johor Bahru

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $913 a month against $1,080 in Johor Bahru, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Johor Bahru
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Johor Bahru Living Index

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Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Penang and in Johor Bahru

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Penang and in Johor Bahru actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $913 in Penang versus $1,080 in Johor Bahru.

Penang $913
Johor Bahru $1,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,403 in Penang versus $1,611 in Johor Bahru.

Penang $1,403
Johor Bahru $1,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,894 in Penang versus $2,141 in Johor Bahru.

Penang $1,894
Johor Bahru $2,141

Living in Penang costs roughly 16% less than in Johor Bahru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Penang 33% lower, Johor Bahru 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 MYR 15.11

$3.57 MYR 14.46

4.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.91 MYR 80.7

$18.54 MYR 75.2

7.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 MYR 19.38

$5.03 MYR 20.39

-4.97%

Cappuccino

$2.98 MYR 12.08

$3.00 MYR 12.15

-0.67%

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

$0.75 MYR 3.05

$0.85 MYR 3.44

-11.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.49

$0.56 MYR 2.29

-33.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 MYR 16.46

$4.54 MYR 18.41

-10.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.74

$6.27 MYR 25.40

-30.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 MYR 7.56

$1.70 MYR 6.89

9.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.39

$1.05 MYR 4.26

2.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.16

$1.42 MYR 5.75

23.94%

Eggs

$2.22 MYR 9.00

$1.73 MYR 7.00

28.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 MYR 54.6

$18.23 MYR 73.9

-26.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.04

$4.57 MYR 18.52

-2.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 MYR 35.27

$10.51 MYR 42.59

-17.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MYR 11.83

$3.28 MYR 13.32

-10.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.68

$1.74 MYR 7.06

-5.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MYR 10.58

$3.91 MYR 15.86

-33.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.67

$1.64 MYR 6.65

-14.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 MYR 4.26

$1.41 MYR 5.70

-25.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.53

$1.65 MYR 6.67

-32.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 MYR 4.45

$1.37 MYR 5.54

-19.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MYR 2.38

$0.56 MYR 2.25

5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 MYR 18.99

$4.19 MYR 16.98

11.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.3

$14.20 MYR 57.6

35.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 12.18

$2.92 MYR 11.85

2.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 MYR 21.92

$3.03 MYR 12.27

78.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$0.70 MYR 2.82

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.03 MYR 48.76

$12.36 MYR 50.1

-2.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.74

$0.94 MYR 3.82

76.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.53

$0.75 MYR 3.06

-49.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 MYR 30.28

$9.95 MYR 40.34

-24.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 MYR 3.83

$0.83 MYR 3.35

14.46%

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

$44.2K MYR 179.2K

$43.9K MYR 177.9K

0.73%

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

$35.8K MYR 145.0K

$35.7K MYR 144.8K

0.08%

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

$36.68 MYR 149

$52.7 MYR 214

-30.36%

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

$9.56 MYR 38.74

$11.01 MYR 44.64

-13.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.49 MYR 120

$28.28 MYR 115

4.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 MYR 159

$41.28 MYR 167

-5.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.85 MYR 19.68

$5.80 MYR 23.50

-16.38%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MYR 19.37

$4.81 MYR 19.51

-0.62%

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

$398 MYR 1,612

$239 MYR 970

66.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K MYR 43.0K

$4,518 MYR 18.3K

134.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 MYR 247

$54.6 MYR 221

11.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.45 MYR 144

$16.53 MYR 67.0

114.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 MYR 339

$81.3 MYR 330

2.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 MYR 284

$98.3 MYR 398

-28.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 MYR 1,654

$523 MYR 2,121

-22.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 MYR 1,164

$416 MYR 1,685

-30.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 MYR 2,828

$983 MYR 3,984

-29.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 MYR 2,165

$707 MYR 2,867

-24.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,117 MYR 8,580

$2,002 MYR 8,114

5.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,261 MYR 5,111

$1,214 MYR 4,920

3.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$931 MYR 3,776

$1,076 MYR 4,361

-13.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

4.06

-0.49%

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

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Johor Bahru: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Penang

$287 31.5%

Johor Bahru

$416 38.5% 44.7% $128

Groceries & Markets

Penang

$257 28.2%

Johor Bahru

$269 24.9% 4.4% $11

Eating Out

Penang

$113 12.4%

Johor Bahru

$120 11.2% 6.2% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Penang

$113 12.3%

Johor Bahru

$113 10.4% 0.2% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penang

$76 8.3%

Johor Bahru

$92 8.5% 21.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Penang

$49 5.3%

Johor Bahru

$51 4.7% 4.4% $2.1

Getting Around

Penang

$18 1.9%

Johor Bahru

$20 1.8% 12.9% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $408 in Penang and $523 in Johor Bahru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johor Bahru pays 15% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $20 in Penang vs $19 in Johor Bahru. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $269, with Penang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Penang

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

Same time as Penang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,336

858,118

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Penang Johor Bahru 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Penang
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Penang vs Johor Bahru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $913 in Penang and $1,080 in Johor Bahru, so Penang is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Penang. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $408 in Penang versus $523 in Johor Bahru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Johor Bahru – a meal for two runs $19 versus $20 in Penang. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $913 per month in Penang versus $1,080 in Johor Bahru – Penang is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Penang and Johor Bahru are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Penang wins on affordability, Johor Bahru on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.