Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Kuala Lumpur

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 5.2% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 18.3% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Penang is 7.9% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 13.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 MYR 12.10

$4.57 MYR 18.00

-32.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.19 MYR 83.5

$28.75 MYR 113

-26.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.20 MYR 16.53

$4.61 MYR 18.17

-8.89%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 11.68

$3.11 MYR 12.26

-4.82%

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

$0.74 MYR 2.92

$0.92 MYR 3.61

-19.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.44

$0.52 MYR 2.07

-28.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 MYR 17.69

$4.15 MYR 16.35

8.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MYR 17.35

$5.78 MYR 22.78

-23.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 MYR 7.50

$1.99 MYR 7.84

-4.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 3.91

$1.00 MYR 3.94

-1.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MYR 8.09

$1.73 MYR 6.81

18.50%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.46

$2.17 MYR 8.55

-0.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.37 MYR 68.4

$14.84 MYR 58.5

17.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 MYR 19.69

$4.56 MYR 17.98

9.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 MYR 58.6

$9.95 MYR 39.20

49.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MYR 10.93

$2.95 MYR 11.61

-5.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.79

$1.63 MYR 6.42

-9.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.18

$2.59 MYR 10.22

-0.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MYR 8.64

$1.53 MYR 6.04

43.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.49

$1.24 MYR 4.87

-8.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.73

$1.40 MYR 5.50

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 MYR 3.52

$1.15 MYR 4.55

-22.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MYR 1.93

$0.62 MYR 2.44

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 MYR 17.13

$4.13 MYR 16.28

5.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.52 MYR 76.9

$18.75 MYR 73.9

4.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.32

$3.26 MYR 12.84

-19.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 MYR 13.71

$4.38 MYR 17.26

-20.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.80

$0.74 MYR 2.93

-37.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.36 MYR 68.4

$11.98 MYR 47.19

44.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$1.19 MYR 4.70

-42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 1.98

$1.11 MYR 4.36

-54.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 MYR 28.32

$4.70 MYR 18.51

52.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.95

$0.47 MYR 1.87

4.26%

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

$34.0K MYR 133.9K

$40.2K MYR 158.2K

-15.40%

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

$27.9K MYR 109.8K

$32.1K MYR 126.4K

-13.12%

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

$39.37 MYR 155

$63.4 MYR 250

-37.87%

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

$10.01 MYR 39.44

$11.31 MYR 44.55

-11.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 MYR 124

$25.29 MYR 99.7

24.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.02 MYR 130

$46.73 MYR 184

-29.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.53 MYR 21.78

$7.78 MYR 30.66

-28.92%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 18.96

$5.34 MYR 21.05

-9.93%

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

$237 MYR 934

$264 MYR 1,038

-10.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,252 MYR 24.6K

$9,254 MYR 36.5K

-32.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 214

$59.8 MYR 235

-9.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.00 MYR 114

$36.87 MYR 145

-21.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 MYR 246

$87.5 MYR 345

-28.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MYR 207

$80.8 MYR 319

-35.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MYR 1,552

$564 MYR 2,221

-30.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 907

$368 MYR 1,449

-37.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MYR 2,524

$1,090 MYR 4,295

-41.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$517 MYR 2,037

$639 MYR 2,519

-19.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,335 MYR 9,201

$4,036 MYR 15.9K

-42.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,691

$1,538 MYR 6,058

-22.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$974 MYR 3,839

$1,597 MYR 6,293

-38.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

4.47

-6.94%

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

Last update for Penang: March 2, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: March 1, 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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