Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Kuching Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Kuching

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 8% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 4.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 10.9% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 16.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 MYR 12.54

$2.8 MYR 11.82

6.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 MYR 87.9

$20.06 MYR 84.6

3.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.34 MYR 18.32

$4.69 MYR 19.76

-7.46%

Cappuccino

$2.84 MYR 11.97

$2.57 MYR 10.83

10.51%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.89

$0.71 MYR 3

-2.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.52

$0.32 MYR 1.37

12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.84

$2.77 MYR 11.68

52.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MYR 18.6

$3.58 MYR 15.08

23.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.65

$1.95 MYR 8.24

-6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 4.18

$1.13 MYR 4.77

-12.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.62

$1.01 MYR 4.27

101.98%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

$2.13 MYR 9

-3.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 MYR 72.2

$9.36 MYR 39.48

82.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.23 MYR 22.05

$3.85 MYR 16.23

35.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 MYR 62.3

$7.88 MYR 33.24

87.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 MYR 12.25

$3.02 MYR 12.72

-3.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 6.18

$1.1 MYR 4.64

32.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.92

$2.62 MYR 11.06

-1.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 MYR 8.88

$1.84 MYR 7.75

14.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.98

$1.15 MYR 4.85

2.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.1

$1.22 MYR 5.16

-0.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 MYR 3.82

$1.68 MYR 7.07

-45.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.91

$0.52 MYR 2.2

-13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.73

$4.14 MYR 17.47

1.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.1 MYR 59.5

$19.41 MYR 81.8

-27.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.44

$3.72 MYR 15.7

-27.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.65

$3.38 MYR 14.26

2.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 MYR 2.05

$0.25 MYR 1.06

96.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.98 MYR 75.8

$11.57 MYR 48.8

55.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 MYR 3.04

$0.91 MYR 3.83

-20.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.5 MYR 2.1

$1.14 MYR 4.83

-56.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7 MYR 29.53

$1.94 MYR 8.17

260.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.96

$0.5 MYR 2.11

-8.00%

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

$33.6K MYR 141.7K

$44.9K MYR 189.4K

-25.18%

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

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

$36.1K MYR 152.3K

-24.96%

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

$39.21 MYR 165

$42.14 MYR 178

-6.95%

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

$10.33 MYR 43.55

$8.94 MYR 37.71

15.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 MYR 131

$24.81 MYR 105

25.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.59 MYR 137

$29.84 MYR 126

9.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.59 MYR 23.59

$9.89 MYR 41.73

-43.48%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 21.15

$4.62 MYR 19.47

8.44%

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

$241 MYR 1,014

$144 MYR 606

67.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,174 MYR 26K

$6,013 MYR 25.4K

2.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 MYR 233

$66 MYR 278

-16.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 MYR 120

$31.77 MYR 134

-10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 MYR 258

$85.6 MYR 361

-28.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 MYR 226

$72.2 MYR 304

-25.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 MYR 1,637

$278 MYR 1,171

39.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 968

$208 MYR 877

10.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 MYR 2,700

$571 MYR 2,409

12.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 MYR 2,201

$390 MYR 1,645

33.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

$1,881 MYR 7,934

29.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 MYR 6,247

$1,330 MYR 5,607

11.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 MYR 4,643

$565 MYR 2,384

94.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

4.27

-2.58%

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

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2025

Last update for Kuching: October 29, 2025

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