Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Lumut, Perak

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $922 a month against $983 in Lumut, Perak, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Lumut, Perak
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Lumut, Perak Living Index

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Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$922

/mo nomad

Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$983

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Penang and in Lumut, Perak

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Penang and in Lumut, Perak actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $922 in Penang versus $983 in Lumut, Perak.

Penang $922
Lumut, Perak $983

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,412 in Penang versus $1,487 in Lumut, Perak.

Penang $1,412
Lumut, Perak $1,487

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,901 in Penang versus $1,991 in Lumut, Perak.

Penang $1,901
Lumut, Perak $1,991

Living in Penang costs roughly 6% less than in Lumut, Perak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Penang 32% lower, Lumut, Perak 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 MYR 15.26

$3.58 MYR 14.46

5.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.80 MYR 80.1

$12.07 MYR 48.79

64.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MYR 18.99

$4.95 MYR 20.01

-5.05%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.21

$2.93 MYR 11.84

3.07%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.11

$0.77 MYR 3.12

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.48

$0.39 MYR 1.56

-5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 MYR 17.02

$3.75 MYR 15.17

12.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 MYR 18.30

$5.95 MYR 24.04

-23.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 MYR 7.21

$2.14 MYR 8.67

-16.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.26

$1.10 MYR 4.47

-4.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 6.94

$1.86 MYR 7.52

-7.53%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.01

$2.54 MYR 10.29

-12.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.81 MYR 55.9

$14.18 MYR 57.4

-2.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.01

$4.50 MYR 18.21

-1.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 MYR 36.06

$10.18 MYR 41.15

-12.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 MYR 12.24

$3.48 MYR 14.07

-12.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.70

$1.82 MYR 7.38

-8.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MYR 10.59

$2.35 MYR 9.50

11.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.71

$1.57 MYR 6.33

-10.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 MYR 4.32

$1.23 MYR 4.96

-13.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.58

$1.33 MYR 5.36

-15.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.42

$1.12 MYR 4.52

-2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.18

$0.71 MYR 2.87

-23.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.65 MYR 18.81

$4.38 MYR 17.73

6.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.43 MYR 78.6

$19.26 MYR 77.9

0.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 MYR 12.09

$3.47 MYR 14.03

-13.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 MYR 21.80

$5.06 MYR 20.46

6.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MYR 2.06

$0.75 MYR 3.02

-32.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.16 MYR 49.17

$12.06 MYR 48.76

0.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 MYR 6.89

$1.20 MYR 4.87

41.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 MYR 1.62

$1.26 MYR 5.08

-68.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 MYR 30.39

$4.77 MYR 19.29

57.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.79

$0.87 MYR 3.54

8.05%

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

$44.7K MYR 180.8K

$44.5K MYR 180.0K

0.39%

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

$36.3K MYR 146.8K

$35.0K MYR 141.6K

3.61%

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

$37.54 MYR 152

$61.7 MYR 249

-39.15%

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

$9.56 MYR 38.66

$8.70 MYR 35.18

9.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.23 MYR 118

$26.02 MYR 105

12.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.42 MYR 159

$37.25 MYR 151

5.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.82 MYR 19.48

$6.38 MYR 25.82

-24.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MYR 20.10

$4.83 MYR 19.54

2.90%

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

$401 MYR 1,622

$237 MYR 960

69.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MYR 46.4K

$12.9K MYR 52.1K

-10.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 MYR 246

$70.9 MYR 287

-14.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.72 MYR 140

$41.11 MYR 166

-15.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 MYR 335

$84.6 MYR 342

-1.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 MYR 282

$94.7 MYR 383

-26.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 MYR 1,675

$418 MYR 1,690

-0.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 MYR 1,189

$296 MYR 1,197

-0.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$703 MYR 2,843

$716 MYR 2,896

-1.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 MYR 2,167

$554 MYR 2,242

-3.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,142 MYR 8,661

$2,015 MYR 8,150

6.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,255 MYR 5,074

$1,194 MYR 4,829

5.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$927 MYR 3,748

$378 MYR 1,528

145.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

4.17

1.68%

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

Last update for Penang: November 3, 2026

Last update for Lumut, Perak: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Penang

$294 31.9%

Lumut, Perak

$296 30.1% 0.7% $2

Groceries & Markets

Penang

$258 28%

Lumut, Perak

$277 28.1% 7.1% $18

Eating Out

Penang

$115 12.5%

Lumut, Perak

$114 11.6% 1.1% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Penang

$112 12.1%

Lumut, Perak

$131 13.3% 17.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penang

$76 8.3%

Lumut, Perak

$96 9.8% 26.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Penang

$49 5.4%

Lumut, Perak

$47 4.8% 5% $2.5

Getting Around

Penang

$18 1.9%

Lumut, Perak

$23 2.3% 25.9% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $414 in Penang and $418 in Lumut, Perak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20 in Penang vs $12 in Lumut, Perak. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $277, with Penang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Penang

🇲🇾 Lumut, Perak

🕒 Local time

17:50 5:50 PM

Same time as Penang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,336

39,595

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Penang Lumut, Perak 130 km

From you

Penang
Lumut, Perak

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Lumut, Perak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penang wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Lumut, Perak. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Penang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Penang is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $414 in Penang versus $418 in Lumut, Perak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Lumut, Perak. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $922 per month in Penang versus $983 in Lumut, Perak – Penang is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Penang and Lumut, Perak are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.