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

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 0.4% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 0.2% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Penang is 9.9% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 MYR 12.61

$3.55 MYR 14.42

-12.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.15 MYR 85.9

$18.72 MYR 76.0

12.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.33 MYR 17.57

$4.62 MYR 18.78

-6.28%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.63

$2.60 MYR 10.55

10.00%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$0.64 MYR 2.58

14.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.48

$0.40 MYR 1.61

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.29 MYR 17.41

$2.40 MYR 9.72

78.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MYR 17.73

$3.44 MYR 13.95

27.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.63

$1.69 MYR 6.85

11.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$1.20 MYR 4.87

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 MYR 8.07

$1.68 MYR 6.83

18.45%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.33

$2.92 MYR 11.84

-29.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.99 MYR 69.0

$26.22 MYR 106

-35.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 MYR 21.02

$3.57 MYR 14.51

45.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 60.8

$7.21 MYR 29.29

107.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MYR 11.26

$2.53 MYR 10.26

9.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

$1.16 MYR 4.72

24.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 MYR 10.96

$3.16 MYR 12.81

-14.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MYR 8.47

$2.02 MYR 8.19

3.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$1.51 MYR 6.12

-25.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.97

$1.72 MYR 6.97

-29.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.84

$1.07 MYR 4.35

-11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.48 MYR 1.93

-6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 MYR 17.12

$4.10 MYR 16.66

2.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.4

$19.44 MYR 78.9

-0.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.63

$1.86 MYR 7.56

40.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 MYR 14.21

$1.62 MYR 6.59

116.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.85

$1.57 MYR 6.39

-70.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.42 MYR 70.7

$40.90 MYR 166

-57.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$1.86 MYR 7.54

-62.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$0.44 MYR 1.78

13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 MYR 29.33

$5.78 MYR 23.48

25.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.88

$0.47 MYR 1.89

-2.13%

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

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

$29.6K MYR 120.3K

14.35%

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

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

$27.3K MYR 110.8K

1.35%

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

$38.60 MYR 157

$52.5 MYR 213

-26.48%

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

$10.03 MYR 40.71

$9.04 MYR 36.70

10.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 MYR 125

$33.02 MYR 134

-6.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.64 MYR 133

$42.82 MYR 174

-23.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.52 MYR 22.40

$2.99 MYR 12.14

84.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$4.78 MYR 19.42

2.51%

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

$238 MYR 968

$129 MYR 522

85.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

$4,463 MYR 18.1K

37.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MYR 226

$59.7 MYR 242

-6.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.29 MYR 119

$22.57 MYR 91.6

29.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 MYR 245

$71.7 MYR 291

-15.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 MYR 214

$94.7 MYR 385

-44.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 MYR 1,543

$376 MYR 1,526

1.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 MYR 920

$165 MYR 669

37.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$649 MYR 2,636

$653 MYR 2,653

-0.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 MYR 2,113

$372 MYR 1,509

40.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 MYR 9,072

$1,848 MYR 7,502

20.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 MYR 4,693

$1,092 MYR 4,434

5.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$988 MYR 4,012

$580 MYR 2,356

70.33%

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: 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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