Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Kota Bharu Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Kota Bharu

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 36.1% more expensive than Kota Bharu without rent, and 29.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 44.3% more expensive than Kota Bharu without rent, and 21.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 MYR 12.54

$1.82 MYR 7.66

63.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 MYR 87.9

$21.31 MYR 89.9

-2.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.34 MYR 18.32

$4.21 MYR 17.76

3.09%

Cappuccino

$2.84 MYR 11.97

$2.32 MYR 9.79

22.41%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.89

$0.45 MYR 1.9

53.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.52

$0.27 MYR 1.15

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.84

$4.27 MYR 18.02

-0.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MYR 18.6

$4.17 MYR 17.58

5.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.65

$1.57 MYR 6.62

15.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 4.18

$0.76 MYR 3.19

30.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.62

$0.83 MYR 3.51

145.78%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

$1.55 MYR 6.55

32.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 MYR 72.2

$15.17 MYR 64

12.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.23 MYR 22.05

$2.95 MYR 12.43

77.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 MYR 62.3

$6.19 MYR 26.11

138.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 MYR 12.25

$1.4 MYR 5.88

107.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 6.18

$1.43 MYR 6.04

2.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.92

$1.38 MYR 5.8

87.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 MYR 8.88

$0.9 MYR 3.8

134.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.98

$0.83 MYR 3.5

42.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.1

$1.16 MYR 4.89

4.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 MYR 3.82

$0.92 MYR 3.86

-1.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.91

$0.4 MYR 1.71

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.73

$3.07 MYR 12.97

36.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.1 MYR 59.5

$14.59 MYR 61.5

-3.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.44

$1.4 MYR 5.9

93.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.65

$3.43 MYR 14.45

1.17%

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

$11.63 MYR 49.04

54.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 MYR 3.04

$0.69 MYR 2.91

4.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.5 MYR 2.1

$0.54 MYR 2.26

-7.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7 MYR 29.53

$3.64 MYR 15.35

92.31%

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

$31K MYR 130.6K

8.45%

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

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

$27.2K MYR 114.8K

-0.48%

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

$39.21 MYR 165

$38.1 MYR 161

2.91%

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

$10.33 MYR 43.55

$8.15 MYR 34.38

26.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 MYR 131

$26.59 MYR 112

17.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.59 MYR 137

$36.56 MYR 154

-10.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.59 MYR 23.59

$5.77 MYR 24.33

-3.12%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 21.15

$4.26 MYR 17.98

17.61%

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

$241 MYR 1,014

$116 MYR 489

107.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,174 MYR 26K

$6,301 MYR 26.6K

-2.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 MYR 233

$53.4 MYR 225

3.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 MYR 120

$18.9 MYR 79.7

50.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 MYR 258

$61.7 MYR 260

-0.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 MYR 226

$51.8 MYR 219

3.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 MYR 1,637

$264 MYR 1,114

46.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 968

$141 MYR 595

62.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 MYR 2,700

$845 MYR 3,565

-24.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 MYR 2,201

$478 MYR 2,015

9.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

$1,767 MYR 7,450

37.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 MYR 6,247

$1,061 MYR 4,474

39.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 MYR 4,643

$325 MYR 1,371

238.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

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

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2025

Last update for Kota Bharu: October 28, 2025

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