Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Kota Kinabalu

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $852 a month against $921 in Kota Kinabalu, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. The total is higher in Kota Kinabalu despite lower rent and utilities.

42

Cost of Living Index in Penang
Learn more

Penang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
Learn more

Kota Kinabalu Living Index

Jump to prices

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$921

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $852 in Penang versus $921 in Kota Kinabalu.

Penang $852
Kota Kinabalu $921

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,307 in Penang versus $1,421 in Kota Kinabalu.

Penang $1,307
Kota Kinabalu $1,421

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,763 in Penang versus $1,921 in Kota Kinabalu.

Penang $1,763
Kota Kinabalu $1,921

Living in Penang costs roughly 7% less than in Kota Kinabalu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Penang 37% lower, Kota Kinabalu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.18

$3.64 MYR 14.86

2.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.53 MYR 79.7

$19.52 MYR 79.6

0.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 MYR 18.47

$4.82 MYR 19.65

-6.02%

Cappuccino

$2.92 MYR 11.89

$2.57 MYR 10.50

13.62%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.17

$0.59 MYR 2.41

32.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.63

$0.29 MYR 1.20

37.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.12 MYR 16.81

$2.50 MYR 10.19

64.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 MYR 18.51

$3.75 MYR 15.28

21.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.65

$1.72 MYR 7.02

9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.41

$1.30 MYR 5.28

-16.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 MYR 7.21

$2.31 MYR 9.43

-23.38%

Eggs

$2.17 MYR 8.85

$3.52 MYR 14.37

-38.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.69 MYR 55.9

$28.38 MYR 116

-51.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 MYR 17.56

$3.69 MYR 15.06

16.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.79 MYR 35.86

$6.91 MYR 28.19

27.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 12.05

$2.25 MYR 9.20

31.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.96

$1.42 MYR 5.81

20.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.21

$1.91 MYR 7.78

43.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.76

$1.93 MYR 7.88

-26.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 MYR 4.36

$1.66 MYR 6.79

-35.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 MYR 4.37

$2.07 MYR 8.44

-48.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.43

$1.00 MYR 4.06

9.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$0.48 MYR 1.95

18.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 MYR 18.80

$4.81 MYR 19.64

-4.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.15 MYR 78.1

$16.20 MYR 66.1

18.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 MYR 11.88

$3.76 MYR 15.36

-22.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.19 MYR 21.18

$2.49 MYR 10.14

108.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MYR 1.92

$1.90 MYR 7.76

-75.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.23 MYR 49.87

$43.22 MYR 176

-71.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MYR 6.86

$1.91 MYR 7.77

-12.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$0.23 MYR 0.93

78.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 MYR 29.12

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 MYR 3.80

$0.71 MYR 2.89

30.99%

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

$42.3K MYR 172.6K

$42.5K MYR 173.5K

-0.54%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

$34.8K MYR 142.1K

2.84%

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

$37.07 MYR 151

$69.4 MYR 283

-46.55%

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

$9.84 MYR 40.13

$9.25 MYR 37.75

6.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.79 MYR 117

$32.46 MYR 132

-11.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.22 MYR 156

$51.3 MYR 209

-25.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.97 MYR 20.28

$3.07 MYR 12.53

61.89%

Cinema Ticket

$4.82 MYR 19.67

$5.11 MYR 20.83

-5.68%

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

$423 MYR 1,726

$138 MYR 565

205.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K MYR 44.1K

$6,981 MYR 28.5K

54.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 240

$81.7 MYR 333

-27.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.27 MYR 144

$37.02 MYR 151

-4.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 MYR 342

$91.7 MYR 374

-8.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 MYR 290

$48.12 MYR 196

47.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 MYR 1,658

$438 MYR 1,786

-7.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 MYR 934

$190 MYR 775

20.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 MYR 2,496

$676 MYR 2,759

-9.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$408 MYR 1,663

$368 MYR 1,501

10.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,223 MYR 9,070

$1,802 MYR 7,351

23.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,070 MYR 4,365

$1,089 MYR 4,444

-1.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$907 MYR 3,702

$578 MYR 2,356

57.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

3.9

3.59%

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

Last update for Penang: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Penang

$257 30.2%

Kota Kinabalu

$290 31.5% 12.8% $33

Accommodation & Living

Penang

$229 26.9%

Kota Kinabalu

$190 20.6% 17% $39

Eating Out

Penang

$113 13.2%

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6% 13.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Penang

$112 13.2%

Kota Kinabalu

$116 12.6% 3.8% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penang

$76 8.9%

Kota Kinabalu

$111 12.1% 46.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Penang

$48 5.6%

Kota Kinabalu

$61 6.7% 28.5% $14

Getting Around

Penang

$18 2.1%

Kota Kinabalu

$54 5.9% 202% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $406 in Penang and $438 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays 57% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20.00 in Penang vs $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $290 per month, with Penang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Penang

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

Same time as Penang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,336

500,425

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Penang Kota Kinabalu 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Penang
Kota Kinabalu

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 Kinabalu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penang wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Kota Kinabalu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Penang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 57% higher in Penang, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $406 in Penang versus $438 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Penang runs roughly 253% less than in Kota Kinabalu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $423 in Penang versus $138 in Kota Kinabalu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $852 in Penang versus $921 in Kota Kinabalu, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Penang but tight or insufficient in Kota Kinabalu. The gap between the two cities makes Penang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Penang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $852 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Penang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Penang and Kota Kinabalu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Penang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Kota Kinabalu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.