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

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 4.5% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 2.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Penang is 15.5% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 1.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 MYR 12.54

$3.47 MYR 14.62

-14.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 MYR 87.9

$19.14 MYR 80.7

8.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.34 MYR 18.32

$4.79 MYR 20.2

-9.39%

Cappuccino

$2.84 MYR 11.97

$2.64 MYR 11.14

7.58%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.89

$0.64 MYR 2.72

7.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.52

$0.37 MYR 1.56

-2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.84

$2.3 MYR 9.71

83.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MYR 18.6

$3.45 MYR 14.55

27.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.65

$1.73 MYR 7.29

5.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 4.18

$1.18 MYR 5

-16.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.62

$1.73 MYR 7.28

17.92%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

$2.89 MYR 12.18

-29.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 MYR 72.2

$26.25 MYR 111

-34.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.23 MYR 22.05

$3.51 MYR 14.82

49.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 MYR 62.3

$7.11 MYR 29.99

107.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 MYR 12.25

$2.55 MYR 10.75

14.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 6.18

$1.14 MYR 4.79

28.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.92

$3.3 MYR 13.91

-21.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 MYR 8.88

$2.01 MYR 8.5

4.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.98

$1.47 MYR 6.18

-19.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.1

$1.77 MYR 7.45

-31.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 MYR 3.82

$1.11 MYR 4.7

-18.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.91

$0.47 MYR 1.98

-4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.73

$4.04 MYR 17.04

3.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.1 MYR 59.5

$18.72 MYR 79

-24.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.44

$1.84 MYR 7.77

47.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.65

$1.61 MYR 6.78

115.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 MYR 2.05

$1.49 MYR 6.27

-67.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.98 MYR 75.8

$40.22 MYR 170

-55.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 MYR 3.04

$1.92 MYR 8.09

-62.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.5 MYR 2.1

$0.43 MYR 1.82

16.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7 MYR 29.53

$5.79 MYR 24.43

20.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.96

$0.46 MYR 1.93

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

$33.6K MYR 141.7K

$29.6K MYR 124.7K

13.59%

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

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

$27.7K MYR 116.9K

-2.24%

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

$39.21 MYR 165

$51.2 MYR 216

-23.37%

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

$10.33 MYR 43.55

$8.97 MYR 37.84

15.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 MYR 131

$33.43 MYR 141

-6.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.59 MYR 137

$43.94 MYR 185

-25.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.59 MYR 23.59

$2.98 MYR 12.57

87.58%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 21.15

$4.58 MYR 19.33

9.39%

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

$241 MYR 1,014

$129 MYR 544

86.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,174 MYR 26K

$4,457 MYR 18.8K

38.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 MYR 233

$60.6 MYR 255

-8.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 MYR 120

$22.48 MYR 94.8

26.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 MYR 258

$71.1 MYR 300

-13.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 MYR 226

$94 MYR 396

-42.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 MYR 1,637

$379 MYR 1,598

2.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 968

$168 MYR 709

36.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 MYR 2,700

$648 MYR 2,735

-1.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 MYR 2,201

$366 MYR 1,544

42.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

$1,364 MYR 5,754

78.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 MYR 6,247

$1,139 MYR 4,804

30.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 MYR 4,643

$551 MYR 2,325

99.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

3.8

9.47%

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

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2025

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 27, 2025

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