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

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 6.7% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 21.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Penang is 8.5% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 11.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 MYR 11.95

$4.82 MYR 19.04

-37.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.49 MYR 84.9

$28.46 MYR 112

-24.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.15 MYR 16.37

$4.74 MYR 18.71

-12.45%

Cappuccino

$2.85 MYR 11.25

$2.99 MYR 11.83

-4.68%

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

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$0.92 MYR 3.64

-26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 MYR 1.32

$0.53 MYR 2.11

-37.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 MYR 17.48

$4.13 MYR 16.33

7.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 MYR 17.09

$5.73 MYR 22.65

-24.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MYR 7.48

$2.07 MYR 8.16

-8.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.10

$1.01 MYR 3.99

2.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 MYR 7.81

$1.65 MYR 6.51

20.00%

Eggs

$2.13 MYR 8.42

$2.26 MYR 8.92

-5.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 MYR 69.7

$14.58 MYR 57.6

21.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.99 MYR 19.72

$4.50 MYR 17.78

10.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.67 MYR 57.9

$9.46 MYR 37.38

55.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 MYR 11.03

$2.98 MYR 11.78

-6.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 5.90

$1.63 MYR 6.45

-8.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 MYR 10.68

$2.67 MYR 10.55

1.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.51

$1.48 MYR 5.83

45.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.72

$1.28 MYR 5.07

-7.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.65

$1.33 MYR 5.26

-11.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 MYR 3.59

$1.21 MYR 4.78

-24.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MYR 1.95

$0.63 MYR 2.47

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MYR 16.39

$4.28 MYR 16.92

-3.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.76 MYR 78.1

$18.74 MYR 74.0

5.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 MYR 10.62

$3.40 MYR 13.44

-20.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 MYR 13.78

$4.45 MYR 17.57

-21.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 MYR 1.91

$0.70 MYR 2.76

-31.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.54 MYR 69.3

$11.87 MYR 46.90

47.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 MYR 2.94

$1.19 MYR 4.72

-37.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MYR 2.15

$1.10 MYR 4.35

-50.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 MYR 28.21

$4.84 MYR 19.12

47.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.84

$0.51 MYR 2.01

-7.84%

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

$33.0K MYR 130.5K

$40.1K MYR 158.3K

-17.57%

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

$27.3K MYR 108.0K

$32.7K MYR 129.4K

-16.52%

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

$38.95 MYR 154

$63.6 MYR 251

-38.71%

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

$10.22 MYR 40.37

$11.31 MYR 44.66

-9.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.73 MYR 125

$25.49 MYR 101

24.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.71 MYR 129

$45.57 MYR 180

-28.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.51 MYR 21.78

$7.62 MYR 30.10

-27.69%

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 MYR 19.40

$5.11 MYR 20.19

-3.91%

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

$234 MYR 925

$272 MYR 1,073

-13.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,126 MYR 24.2K

$9,452 MYR 37.3K

-35.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 MYR 218

$61.4 MYR 243

-10.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.37 MYR 116

$36.67 MYR 145

-19.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 MYR 238

$85.0 MYR 336

-29.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.8 MYR 205

$79.2 MYR 313

-34.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 MYR 1,537

$575 MYR 2,270

-32.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 MYR 897

$376 MYR 1,486

-39.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 MYR 2,527

$1,086 MYR 4,290

-41.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 MYR 2,078

$631 MYR 2,492

-16.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,321 MYR 9,167

$3,936 MYR 15.5K

-41.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 MYR 4,691

$1,551 MYR 6,125

-23.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$949 MYR 3,749

$1,633 MYR 6,451

-41.88%

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: April 11, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: April 12, 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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