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

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 7.4% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 22.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Penang is 8.9% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 12.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.14 MYR 12.94

$4.69 MYR 19.36

-33.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.48 MYR 88.7

$27.96 MYR 115

-23.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.31 MYR 17.8

$4.76 MYR 19.63

-9.45%

Cappuccino

$2.87 MYR 11.84

$2.99 MYR 12.35

-4.01%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.84

$0.86 MYR 3.54

-19.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.51

$0.53 MYR 2.21

-30.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.44 MYR 18.31

$4.34 MYR 17.91

2.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MYR 17.96

$5.98 MYR 24.68

-27.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MYR 7.8

$2.05 MYR 8.46

-7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MYR 4.22

$1.01 MYR 4.17

0.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 MYR 8.05

$1.74 MYR 7.17

12.07%

Eggs

$2.07 MYR 8.56

$2.25 MYR 9.27

-8.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 MYR 70.9

$14.59 MYR 60.2

17.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.05 MYR 20.83

$4.54 MYR 18.72

11.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 61.8

$9.8 MYR 40.43

52.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MYR 11.46

$2.87 MYR 11.86

-3.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.96

$1.63 MYR 6.75

-11.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.69

$2.61 MYR 10.76

-0.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MYR 8.63

$1.45 MYR 5.99

44.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.89

$1.24 MYR 5.11

-4.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 5.02

$1.39 MYR 5.74

-12.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 MYR 4.01

$1.22 MYR 5.03

-20.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.86

$0.68 MYR 2.81

-33.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 MYR 17.1

$4.15 MYR 17.11

-0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.71 MYR 69

$18.46 MYR 76.2

-9.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 MYR 10.95

$3.4 MYR 14.04

-22.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 MYR 13.98

$4.27 MYR 17.64

-20.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 MYR 2

$0.68 MYR 2.81

-27.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.82 MYR 73.6

$11.63 MYR 48

53.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 MYR 2.86

$1.16 MYR 4.77

-40.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.5 MYR 2.07

$1.09 MYR 4.5

-54.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.97 MYR 28.77

$4.77 MYR 19.71

46.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 2.03

$0.51 MYR 2.09

-3.92%

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

$33.6K MYR 138.5K

$39.6K MYR 163.6K

-15.32%

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

$27K MYR 111.6K

$32K MYR 131.9K

-15.44%

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

$38.25 MYR 158

$64.7 MYR 267

-40.88%

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

$10.05 MYR 41.49

$11.6 MYR 47.88

-13.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.73 MYR 127

$25.5 MYR 105

20.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.53 MYR 134

$45.6 MYR 188

-28.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 MYR 23.32

$7.89 MYR 32.58

-28.39%

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 MYR 20.78

$5.07 MYR 20.94

-0.59%

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

$234 MYR 966

$264 MYR 1,088

-11.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,245 MYR 25.8K

$9,486 MYR 39.1K

-34.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 MYR 228

$61.6 MYR 254

-10.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.03 MYR 120

$36.81 MYR 152

-21.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.9 MYR 255

$84.6 MYR 349

-26.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MYR 216

$79.2 MYR 327

-33.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 MYR 1,569

$566 MYR 2,336

-32.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 MYR 918

$377 MYR 1,555

-40.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 MYR 2,694

$1,083 MYR 4,470

-39.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 MYR 2,118

$643 MYR 2,654

-20.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,505 MYR 10.3K

$3,367 MYR 13.9K

-25.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,311 MYR 5,412

$1,540 MYR 6,357

-14.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,128 MYR 4,655

$1,366 MYR 5,639

-17.44%

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: November 30, 2025

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: December 2, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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