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

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 8.1% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 19.2% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Penang is 5.8% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 13.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 MYR 12.61

$4.83 MYR 19.60

-35.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.15 MYR 85.9

$28.81 MYR 117

-26.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.33 MYR 17.57

$4.63 MYR 18.81

-6.48%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.63

$3.07 MYR 12.46

-6.84%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$0.87 MYR 3.53

-16.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.48

$0.52 MYR 2.11

-30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.29 MYR 17.41

$4.21 MYR 17.09

1.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MYR 17.73

$5.80 MYR 23.56

-24.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.63

$2.00 MYR 8.12

-6.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$1.00 MYR 4.07

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 MYR 8.07

$1.67 MYR 6.77

19.16%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.33

$2.27 MYR 9.20

-9.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.99 MYR 69.0

$14.87 MYR 60.4

14.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 MYR 21.02

$4.51 MYR 18.32

14.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 60.8

$9.85 MYR 39.99

51.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MYR 11.26

$2.87 MYR 11.64

-3.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

$1.59 MYR 6.45

-9.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 MYR 10.96

$2.58 MYR 10.49

4.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MYR 8.47

$1.46 MYR 5.91

43.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$1.23 MYR 5.01

-8.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.97

$1.35 MYR 5.46

-9.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.84

$1.16 MYR 4.71

-18.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.67 MYR 2.71

-32.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 MYR 17.12

$4.17 MYR 16.92

1.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.4

$18.47 MYR 75.0

4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.63

$3.41 MYR 13.84

-23.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 MYR 14.21

$4.28 MYR 17.39

-18.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.85

$0.72 MYR 2.94

-36.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.42 MYR 70.7

$11.94 MYR 48.47

45.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$1.21 MYR 4.93

-42.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$1.11 MYR 4.50

-54.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 MYR 29.33

$4.79 MYR 19.43

50.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.88

$0.48 MYR 1.95

-4.17%

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

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

$40.7K MYR 165.3K

-16.81%

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

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

$32.0K MYR 129.7K

-13.46%

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

$38.60 MYR 157

$64.5 MYR 262

-40.16%

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

$10.03 MYR 40.71

$11.58 MYR 47.01

-13.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 MYR 125

$25.61 MYR 104

20.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.64 MYR 133

$46.05 MYR 187

-29.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.52 MYR 22.40

$8.01 MYR 32.52

-31.09%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$5.35 MYR 21.70

-8.41%

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

$238 MYR 968

$266 MYR 1,080

-10.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

$9,472 MYR 38.5K

-35.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MYR 226

$61.3 MYR 249

-9.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.29 MYR 119

$36.95 MYR 150

-20.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 MYR 245

$86.8 MYR 353

-30.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 MYR 214

$80.0 MYR 325

-33.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 MYR 1,543

$578 MYR 2,346

-34.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 MYR 920

$365 MYR 1,482

-37.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$649 MYR 2,636

$1,055 MYR 4,284

-38.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 MYR 2,113

$646 MYR 2,623

-19.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 MYR 9,072

$3,619 MYR 14.7K

-38.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 MYR 4,693

$1,550 MYR 6,294

-25.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$988 MYR 4,012

$1,500 MYR 6,090

-34.11%

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: January 12, 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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