Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Malacca Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Malacca

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 20% more expensive than Malacca without rent, and 12% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 17.9% more expensive than Malacca without rent, and 19.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 MYR 12.61

$3.50 MYR 14.22

-11.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.15 MYR 85.9

$18.91 MYR 76.8

11.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.33 MYR 17.57

$4.76 MYR 19.34

-9.03%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.63

$2.96 MYR 12.02

-3.38%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$0.78 MYR 3.18

-6.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.48

$0.48 MYR 1.96

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.29 MYR 17.41

$2.15 MYR 8.72

99.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MYR 17.73

$3.26 MYR 13.24

34.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.63

$1.44 MYR 5.86

30.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$0.95 MYR 3.85

5.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 MYR 8.07

$1.23 MYR 5.01

61.79%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.33

$1.80 MYR 7.31

13.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.99 MYR 69.0

$15.41 MYR 62.6

10.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 MYR 21.02

$4.96 MYR 20.16

4.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 60.8

$11.14 MYR 45.24

34.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MYR 11.26

$3.71 MYR 15.07

-25.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

$1.46 MYR 5.94

-1.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 MYR 10.96

$2.52 MYR 10.25

7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MYR 8.47

$2.02 MYR 8.22

3.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$1.45 MYR 5.89

-22.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.97

$1.75 MYR 7.12

-30.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.84

$1.31 MYR 5.34

-27.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.56 MYR 2.28

-19.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 MYR 17.12

$4.17 MYR 16.92

1.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.4

$14.34 MYR 58.2

34.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.63

$2.01 MYR 8.16

30.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 MYR 14.21

$2.89 MYR 11.74

21.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.85

$0.45 MYR 1.85

2.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.42 MYR 70.7

$11.68 MYR 47.43

49.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$1.37 MYR 5.56

-48.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$0.98 MYR 3.99

-48.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 MYR 29.33

$6.03 MYR 24.48

19.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.88

$0.50 MYR 2.04

-8.00%

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

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

$35.6K MYR 144.7K

-4.94%

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

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

$38.5K MYR 156.2K

-28.13%

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

$38.60 MYR 157

$45.27 MYR 184

-14.73%

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

$10.03 MYR 40.71

$9.26 MYR 37.60

8.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 MYR 125

$30.85 MYR 125

0.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.64 MYR 133

$16.61 MYR 67.5

96.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.52 MYR 22.40

$11.63 MYR 47.21

-52.54%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$5.06 MYR 20.55

-3.16%

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

$238 MYR 968

$187 MYR 757

27.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

$6,828 MYR 27.7K

-9.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MYR 226

$64.4 MYR 261

-13.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.29 MYR 119

$18.91 MYR 76.8

54.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 MYR 245

$72.7 MYR 295

-16.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 MYR 214

$39.49 MYR 160

33.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 MYR 1,543

$324 MYR 1,316

17.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 MYR 920

$192 MYR 780

17.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$649 MYR 2,636

$699 MYR 2,838

-7.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 MYR 2,113

$285 MYR 1,158

82.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 MYR 9,072

$1,174 MYR 4,767

90.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 MYR 4,693

$785 MYR 3,188

47.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$988 MYR 4,012

$927 MYR 3,765

6.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

4.07

2.21%

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

Last update for Penang: January 13, 2026

Last update for Malacca: January 12, 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

Similar cities

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

Minsk

🇧🇾 Belarus

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil