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

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 18% more expensive than Kota Bharu without rent, and 31.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 22.8% more expensive than Kota Bharu without rent, and 19% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 MYR 12.61

$1.78 MYR 7.24

74.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.15 MYR 85.9

$21.13 MYR 85.8

0.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.33 MYR 17.57

$4.22 MYR 17.12

2.61%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.63

$2.40 MYR 9.73

19.17%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$0.49 MYR 2.00

48.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.48

$0.27 MYR 1.10

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.29 MYR 17.41

$4.27 MYR 17.34

0.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MYR 17.73

$4.36 MYR 17.70

0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.63

$1.56 MYR 6.32

20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$0.75 MYR 3.04

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 MYR 8.07

$0.84 MYR 3.39

136.90%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.33

$1.54 MYR 6.25

33.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.99 MYR 69.0

$15.20 MYR 61.7

11.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 MYR 21.02

$2.96 MYR 12.01

75.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 60.8

$6.30 MYR 25.59

137.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MYR 11.26

$1.42 MYR 5.78

95.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 MYR 10.96

$1.45 MYR 5.87

86.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MYR 8.47

$0.84 MYR 3.42

148.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$0.82 MYR 3.31

37.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.97

$1.21 MYR 4.93

0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.84

$0.97 MYR 3.95

-2.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.40 MYR 1.63

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 MYR 17.12

$3.06 MYR 12.43

37.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.4

$19.27 MYR 78.2

0.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.63

$1.40 MYR 5.67

87.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 MYR 14.21

$3.43 MYR 13.93

2.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.85

$0.73 MYR 2.96

-36.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.42 MYR 70.7

$11.83 MYR 48.02

47.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$0.73 MYR 2.98

-4.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 MYR 29.33

$3.51 MYR 14.26

105.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.88

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

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

$31.0K MYR 125.9K

9.23%

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

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

$27.7K MYR 112.5K

-0.19%

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

$38.60 MYR 157

$38.23 MYR 155

0.97%

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

$10.03 MYR 40.71

$8.28 MYR 33.60

21.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 MYR 125

$26.57 MYR 108

16.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.64 MYR 133

$36.55 MYR 148

-10.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.52 MYR 22.40

$5.88 MYR 23.86

-6.12%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$4.33 MYR 17.59

13.16%

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

$238 MYR 968

$120 MYR 486

99.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

$6,149 MYR 25.0K

0.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MYR 226

$52.8 MYR 214

5.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.29 MYR 119

$19.22 MYR 78.0

52.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 MYR 245

$61.0 MYR 248

-0.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 MYR 214

$53.0 MYR 215

-0.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 MYR 1,543

$258 MYR 1,049

47.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 MYR 920

$143 MYR 580

58.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$649 MYR 2,636

$847 MYR 3,438

-23.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 MYR 2,113

$473 MYR 1,920

10.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 MYR 9,072

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 MYR 4,693

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$988 MYR 4,012

$297 MYR 1,207

232.30%

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for Kota Bharu: January 11, 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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