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

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 12% cheaper than Kulim without rent, and 17.5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Penang is 5.5% cheaper than Kulim without rent, and 7.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 MYR 12.54

$2.61 MYR 11

13.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 MYR 87.9

$23.2 MYR 97.8

-10.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.34 MYR 18.32

$3.88 MYR 16.35

11.86%

Cappuccino

$2.84 MYR 11.97

$2.22 MYR 9.35

27.93%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.89

$0.73 MYR 3.09

-5.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.52

$0.36 MYR 1.54

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.84

$4.2 MYR 17.7

0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MYR 18.6

$5.44 MYR 22.93

-18.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.65

$1.9 MYR 8.01

-4.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 4.18

$1.13 MYR 4.75

-12.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.62

$1.43 MYR 6.03

42.66%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

$1.82 MYR 7.67

12.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 MYR 72.2

$22.77 MYR 96

-24.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.23 MYR 22.05

$4.8 MYR 20.26

8.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 MYR 62.3

$10.82 MYR 45.62

36.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 MYR 12.25

$3.94 MYR 16.6

-26.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 6.18

$1.78 MYR 7.51

-17.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.92

$3.31 MYR 13.94

-21.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 MYR 8.88

$2.63 MYR 11.1

-19.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.98

$1.68 MYR 7.08

-29.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.1

$1 MYR 4.21

21.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 MYR 3.82

$1.12 MYR 4.72

-18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.91

$0.55 MYR 2.33

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.73

$4.28 MYR 18.05

-1.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.1 MYR 59.5

$29.51 MYR 124

-52.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.44

$4.38 MYR 18.45

-38.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.65

$5.51 MYR 23.24

-37.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 MYR 2.05

$0.49 MYR 2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.98 MYR 75.8

$11.76 MYR 49.58

52.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 MYR 3.04

$1.2 MYR 5.06

-40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.5 MYR 2.1

$1.04 MYR 4.38

-51.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7 MYR 29.53

$4.2 MYR 17.72

66.67%

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

$44.1K MYR 186.2K

-23.90%

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

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

$30.9K MYR 130.1K

-12.19%

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

$39.21 MYR 165

$75.6 MYR 319

-48.13%

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

$10.33 MYR 43.55

$9.75 MYR 41.12

5.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 MYR 131

$28.96 MYR 122

7.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.59 MYR 137

$36.27 MYR 153

-10.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.59 MYR 23.59

$5.97 MYR 25.19

-6.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 21.15

$5.63 MYR 23.74

-11.01%

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

$241 MYR 1,014

$118 MYR 499

103.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,174 MYR 26K

$4,241 MYR 17.9K

45.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 MYR 233

$111 MYR 470

-50.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 MYR 120

$27.55 MYR 116

3.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 MYR 258

$76.6 MYR 323

-20.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 MYR 226

$79 MYR 333

-32.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 MYR 1,637

$392 MYR 1,651

-0.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 968

$272 MYR 1,148

-15.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 MYR 2,700

$638 MYR 2,690

0.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 MYR 2,201

$477 MYR 2,013

9.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

$1,594 MYR 6,722

52.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 MYR 6,247

$1,065 MYR 4,490

39.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 MYR 4,643

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: October 26, 2025

Last update for Kulim: October 27, 2025

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