Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Kota Bharu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Bharu: $694 a month against $922 in Penang, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Kota Bharu
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Kota Bharu Living Index

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Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$922

/mo nomad

Kota Bharu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Penang and in Kota Bharu

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 Kota Bharu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $922 per month in Penang vs $694 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Penang $922
Kota Bharu $694

A couple spends around $1,412 per month in Penang vs $1,075 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Penang $1,412
Kota Bharu $1,075

A family of three spends $1,901 per month in Penang vs $1,455 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Penang $1,901
Kota Bharu $1,455

Penang costs about 33% more than Kota Bharu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Penang and Kota Bharu are more affordable than the global median – Penang 32% lower, Kota Bharu 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 MYR 15.38

$2.24 MYR 9.12

68.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.80 MYR 80.7

$19.43 MYR 79.2

1.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MYR 19.14

$4.79 MYR 19.51

-1.88%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$2.18 MYR 8.87

38.53%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.14

$0.47 MYR 1.93

63.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.50

$0.26 MYR 1.05

42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 MYR 17.15

$4.27 MYR 17.40

-1.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 MYR 18.44

$4.34 MYR 17.68

4.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 MYR 7.26

$1.57 MYR 6.38

13.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.30

$0.90 MYR 3.67

16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 6.99

$0.78 MYR 3.18

120.51%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.08

$1.60 MYR 6.51

39.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.81 MYR 56.3

$13.48 MYR 55.0

2.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.15

$3.06 MYR 12.49

45.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 MYR 36.34

$6.52 MYR 26.57

36.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 MYR 12.33

$3.07 MYR 12.52

-1.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.75

$1.45 MYR 5.89

14.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MYR 10.68

$2.76 MYR 11.25

-5.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.75

$1.12 MYR 4.58

25.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 MYR 4.35

$0.95 MYR 3.86

12.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.61

$1.10 MYR 4.46

2.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.45

$1.10 MYR 4.48

-0.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.20

$0.45 MYR 1.83

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.65 MYR 18.96

$3.35 MYR 13.66

38.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.43 MYR 79.2

$19.31 MYR 78.7

0.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 MYR 12.18

$2.93 MYR 11.93

2.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 MYR 21.97

$5.45 MYR 22.19

-1.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$0.76 MYR 3.11

-32.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.16 MYR 49.54

$12.22 MYR 49.79

-0.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 MYR 6.94

$1.77 MYR 7.20

-3.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 MYR 1.63

$0.41 MYR 1.65

-2.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 MYR 30.62

$3.75 MYR 15.29

100.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.82

$0.48 MYR 1.96

95.83%

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

$44.7K MYR 182.1K

$31.4K MYR 128.1K

42.16%

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

$36.3K MYR 147.9K

$29.5K MYR 120.3K

22.91%

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

$37.54 MYR 153

$37.70 MYR 154

-0.42%

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

$9.56 MYR 38.96

$8.53 MYR 34.74

12.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.23 MYR 119

$26.29 MYR 107

11.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.42 MYR 161

$48.85 MYR 199

-19.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.82 MYR 19.63

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MYR 20.25

$4.44 MYR 18.11

11.94%

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

$401 MYR 1,635

$122 MYR 497

229.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MYR 46.8K

$11.6K MYR 47.3K

-1.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 MYR 248

$54.7 MYR 223

11.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.72 MYR 141

$19.81 MYR 80.7

75.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 MYR 338

$80.7 MYR 329

2.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 MYR 284

$69.8 MYR 284

-0.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 MYR 1,688

$247 MYR 1,007

67.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 MYR 1,198

$123 MYR 502

138.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$703 MYR 2,864

$676 MYR 2,753

4.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 MYR 2,184

$224 MYR 913

139.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,142 MYR 8,727

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,255 MYR 5,113

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$927 MYR 3,776

$296 MYR 1,205

213.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

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

Last update for Penang: November 3, 2026

Last update for Kota Bharu: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Penang

$294 31.9%

Kota Bharu

$123 17.7% 58.1% $171

Groceries & Markets

Penang

$258 28%

Kota Bharu

$229 33% 11.2% $29

Eating Out

Penang

$115 12.5%

Kota Bharu

$91 13.2% 20.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Penang

$112 12.1%

Kota Bharu

$101 14.6% 9.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penang

$76 8.3%

Kota Bharu

$73 10.5% 5% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Penang

$49 5.4%

Kota Bharu

$58 8.3% 17% $8.4

Getting Around

Penang

$18 1.9%

Kota Bharu

$19 2.8% 6.5% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $414 in Penang versus $247 in Kota Bharu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Penang are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Penang versus $19 in Kota Bharu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $229 – making Kota Bharu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Penang

🇲🇾 Kota Bharu

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

Same time as Penang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,336

568,900

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Penang Kota Bharu 240 km

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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 Kota Bharu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penang costs about 33% more than Kota Bharu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,384 per month in Penang and $1,041 in Kota Bharu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kota Bharu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $247 there versus $414 in Penang.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Penang and $19 in Kota Bharu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Penang, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kota Bharu, where all-in costs run around $694, than in Penang at $922. In Kota Bharu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Penang it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kota Bharu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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