Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Kajang, Selangor

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $856 a month against $947 in Kajang, Selangor, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Kajang, Selangor
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Kajang, Selangor Living Index

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Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$856

/mo nomad

Kajang, Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$947

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Penang and in Kajang, Selangor

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 Kajang, Selangor actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $856 per month in Penang vs $947 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Penang $856
Kajang, Selangor $947

A couple spends around $1,310 per month in Penang vs $1,418 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Penang $1,310
Kajang, Selangor $1,418

A family of three spends $1,764 per month in Penang vs $1,888 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Penang $1,764
Kajang, Selangor $1,888

Penang is about 10% cheaper than Kajang, Selangor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Penang and Kajang, Selangor are more affordable than the global median – Penang 37% lower, Kajang, Selangor 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 MYR 15.27

$3.66 MYR 14.91

2.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.62 MYR 80.0

$18.46 MYR 75.3

6.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 MYR 18.90

$5.01 MYR 20.45

-7.58%

Cappuccino

$2.88 MYR 11.74

$2.96 MYR 12.06

-2.70%

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

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$0.84 MYR 3.42

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.51

$0.47 MYR 1.92

-21.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.18 MYR 17.05

$4.29 MYR 17.50

-2.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 MYR 18.32

$6.10 MYR 24.88

-26.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MYR 7.32

$1.74 MYR 7.08

3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 MYR 4.43

$1.11 MYR 4.51

-1.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.05

$1.43 MYR 5.82

20.98%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.13

$1.68 MYR 6.84

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.48 MYR 55.0

$18.12 MYR 73.9

-25.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.33 MYR 17.66

$4.55 MYR 18.58

-4.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.44 MYR 34.43

$9.74 MYR 39.75

-13.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 MYR 12.09

$3.26 MYR 13.32

-9.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.97

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-1.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 MYR 11.00

$2.33 MYR 9.52

15.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.94

$1.59 MYR 6.50

-8.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 MYR 4.35

$1.34 MYR 5.46

-20.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 MYR 4.40

$1.67 MYR 6.79

-35.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MYR 4.66

$1.13 MYR 4.61

0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MYR 2.35

$0.55 MYR 2.26

5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.60 MYR 18.75

$4.19 MYR 17.07

9.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 MYR 77.3

$14.03 MYR 57.2

35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 MYR 11.90

$2.96 MYR 12.08

-1.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 MYR 21.00

$3.15 MYR 12.84

63.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 MYR 2.06

$0.75 MYR 3.06

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.35 MYR 50.4

$12.13 MYR 49.47

1.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 MYR 7.04

$1.20 MYR 4.88

44.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.53

$0.76 MYR 3.08

-51.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 MYR 30.09

$4.97 MYR 20.29

48.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 MYR 3.88

$0.84 MYR 3.42

13.10%

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

$45.2K MYR 184.4K

$41.9K MYR 170.9K

7.89%

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

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

$34.1K MYR 139.1K

2.36%

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

$36.48 MYR 149

$53.6 MYR 219

-31.95%

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

$9.94 MYR 40.55

$9.59 MYR 39.11

3.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.72 MYR 117

$26.09 MYR 106

10.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.98 MYR 159

$39.40 MYR 161

-1.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.83 MYR 19.70

$7.18 MYR 29.29

-32.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 20.45

$4.82 MYR 19.65

3.94%

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

$427 MYR 1,740

$164 MYR 670

159.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K MYR 44.1K

$4,459 MYR 18.2K

142.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.0 MYR 245

$53.9 MYR 220

11.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.02 MYR 143

$16.62 MYR 67.8

110.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 MYR 342

$81.5 MYR 332

3.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.5 MYR 288

$95.3 MYR 389

-25.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$400 MYR 1,631

$408 MYR 1,664

-1.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 MYR 956

$300 MYR 1,224

-21.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 MYR 2,474

$678 MYR 2,764

-10.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 MYR 1,679

$491 MYR 2,003

-16.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,161 MYR 8,817

$2,054 MYR 8,381

5.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 MYR 4,433

$1,068 MYR 4,356

1.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$942 MYR 3,842

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 18, 2026

Last update for Kajang, Selangor: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Penang

$255 29.8%

Kajang, Selangor

$259 27.3% 1.6% $4.1

Accommodation & Living

Penang

$234 27.4%

Kajang, Selangor

$300 31.7% 28.1% $66

Eating Out

Penang

$113 13.2%

Kajang, Selangor

$119 12.5% 5.4% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Penang

$112 13.1%

Kajang, Selangor

$111 11.7% 0.9% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penang

$75 8.8%

Kajang, Selangor

$89 9.4% 18.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Penang

$49 5.7%

Kajang, Selangor

$49 5.2% 0.1% $0

Getting Around

Penang

$18 2.1%

Kajang, Selangor

$20 2.1% 11.9% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $400 in Penang versus $408 in Kajang, Selangor. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Penang versus $18.00 in Kajang, Selangor. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Penang vs $259 in Kajang, Selangor – so Penang wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Penang

🇲🇾 Kajang, Selangor

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

Same time as Penang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,336

1,047,356

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Penang Kajang, Selangor 310 km

From you

Penang
Kajang, Selangor

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 Kajang, Selangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $856 in Penang, $947 in Kajang, Selangor – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,284 per month in Penang and $1,421 in Kajang, Selangor. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Penang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Penang and $18.00 in Kajang, Selangor. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $856 in Penang and $947 in Kajang, Selangor. That's a gap of about 11%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Penang, where all-in costs run around $856, than in Kajang, Selangor at $947. In Penang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kajang, Selangor it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Penang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $856 in Penang to $947 in Kajang, Selangor. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Penang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kajang, Selangor makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.