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

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 18.4% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 1.2% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 0.6% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 4.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 MYR 11.95

$3.52 MYR 13.92

-13.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.49 MYR 84.9

$19.10 MYR 75.5

12.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.15 MYR 16.37

$4.79 MYR 18.93

-13.36%

Cappuccino

$2.85 MYR 11.25

$2.67 MYR 10.53

6.74%

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

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$0.68 MYR 2.69

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 MYR 1.32

$0.39 MYR 1.56

-15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 MYR 17.48

$2.33 MYR 9.22

89.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 MYR 17.09

$3.47 MYR 13.72

24.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MYR 7.48

$1.68 MYR 6.63

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.10

$1.25 MYR 4.94

-16.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 MYR 7.81

$1.68 MYR 6.62

17.86%

Eggs

$2.13 MYR 8.42

$2.91 MYR 11.50

-26.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 MYR 69.7

$25.95 MYR 102

-31.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.99 MYR 19.72

$3.64 MYR 14.36

37.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.67 MYR 57.9

$7.09 MYR 28.01

106.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 MYR 11.03

$2.66 MYR 10.52

4.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 5.90

$1.13 MYR 4.47

31.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 MYR 10.68

$3.24 MYR 12.82

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.51

$1.97 MYR 7.78

9.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.72

$1.52 MYR 5.99

-21.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.65

$1.71 MYR 6.74

-30.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 MYR 3.59

$1.13 MYR 4.45

-19.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MYR 1.95

$0.47 MYR 1.85

4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MYR 16.39

$4.02 MYR 15.88

3.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.76 MYR 78.1

$27.13 MYR 107

-27.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 MYR 10.62

$1.91 MYR 7.55

40.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 MYR 13.78

$1.63 MYR 6.44

114.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 MYR 1.91

$1.51 MYR 5.97

-68.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.54 MYR 69.3

$40.65 MYR 161

-56.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 MYR 2.94

$1.87 MYR 7.37

-60.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MYR 2.15

$0.44 MYR 1.72

22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 MYR 28.21

$6.00 MYR 23.69

19.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.84

$0.46 MYR 1.83

2.17%

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

$33.0K MYR 130.5K

$29.6K MYR 117.0K

11.49%

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

$27.3K MYR 108.0K

$28.1K MYR 110.8K

-2.57%

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

$38.95 MYR 154

$51.2 MYR 202

-23.88%

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

$10.22 MYR 40.37

$9.14 MYR 36.11

11.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.73 MYR 125

$32.66 MYR 129

-2.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.71 MYR 129

$43.05 MYR 170

-24.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.51 MYR 21.78

$2.87 MYR 11.33

91.99%

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 MYR 19.40

$4.76 MYR 18.80

3.15%

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

$234 MYR 925

$133 MYR 524

76.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,126 MYR 24.2K

$4,434 MYR 17.5K

38.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 MYR 218

$59.0 MYR 233

-6.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.37 MYR 116

$22.78 MYR 90.0

28.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 MYR 238

$71.1 MYR 281

-15.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.8 MYR 205

$94.6 MYR 374

-45.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 MYR 1,537

$378 MYR 1,492

2.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 MYR 897

$162 MYR 641

40.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 MYR 2,527

$645 MYR 2,548

-0.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 MYR 2,078

$369 MYR 1,456

42.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,321 MYR 9,167

$1,893 MYR 7,478

22.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 MYR 4,691

$1,130 MYR 4,463

5.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$949 MYR 3,749

$612 MYR 2,417

55.15%

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: April 11, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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