Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Kulim Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Kulim

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 13.6% cheaper than Kulim without rent, and 12.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Penang is 18.4% cheaper than Kulim without rent, and 7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 MYR 12.61

$2.53 MYR 10.28

22.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.15 MYR 85.9

$23.34 MYR 94.8

-9.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.33 MYR 17.57

$3.68 MYR 14.94

17.66%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.63

$2.22 MYR 9.01

28.83%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$0.72 MYR 2.93

1.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.48

$0.37 MYR 1.49

-2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.29 MYR 17.41

$4.18 MYR 16.97

2.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MYR 17.73

$5.29 MYR 21.47

-17.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.63

$1.83 MYR 7.43

2.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$1.12 MYR 4.56

-10.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 MYR 8.07

$1.43 MYR 5.81

39.16%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.33

$1.89 MYR 7.69

8.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.99 MYR 69.0

$22.43 MYR 91.1

-24.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 MYR 21.02

$5.01 MYR 20.33

3.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 60.8

$10.56 MYR 42.89

41.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MYR 11.26

$3.90 MYR 15.83

-28.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

$1.70 MYR 6.92

-15.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 MYR 10.96

$3.45 MYR 14.02

-21.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MYR 8.47

$2.60 MYR 10.56

-19.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$1.76 MYR 7.14

-35.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.97

$1.00 MYR 4.08

22.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.84

$1.08 MYR 4.37

-12.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.50 MYR 2.05

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 MYR 17.12

$4.30 MYR 17.47

-1.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.4

$16.51 MYR 67.0

16.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.63

$4.20 MYR 17.05

-37.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 MYR 14.21

$5.51 MYR 22.38

-36.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.85

$0.53 MYR 2.13

-13.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.42 MYR 70.7

$12.01 MYR 48.75

45.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$1.20 MYR 4.87

-41.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$1.03 MYR 4.19

-51.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 MYR 29.33

$4.42 MYR 17.95

63.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.88

$0.47 MYR 1.89

-2.13%

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

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

$43.7K MYR 177.2K

-22.39%

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

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

$30.9K MYR 125.3K

-10.38%

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

$38.60 MYR 157

$73.1 MYR 297

-47.20%

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

$10.03 MYR 40.71

$9.44 MYR 38.32

6.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 MYR 125

$28.36 MYR 115

8.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.64 MYR 133

$36.70 MYR 149

-11.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.52 MYR 22.40

$5.97 MYR 24.23

-7.54%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$5.68 MYR 23.04

-13.73%

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

$238 MYR 968

$120 MYR 486

99.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

$4,379 MYR 17.8K

40.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MYR 226

$111 MYR 450

-49.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.29 MYR 119

$27.01 MYR 110

8.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 MYR 245

$76.3 MYR 310

-20.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 MYR 214

$78.9 MYR 320

-33.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 MYR 1,543

$391 MYR 1,587

-2.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 MYR 920

$271 MYR 1,100

-16.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$649 MYR 2,636

$655 MYR 2,660

-0.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 MYR 2,113

$474 MYR 1,926

9.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 MYR 9,072

$1,505 MYR 6,110

48.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 MYR 4,693

$797 MYR 3,235

45.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$988 MYR 4,012

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

3.96

5.05%

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

Last update for Penang: January 13, 2026

Last update for Kulim: January 10, 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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