Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Malacca

For one person, living is cheaper in Malacca: $609 a month against $913 in Penang, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
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Malacca Living Index

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Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Penang and in Malacca

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 Malacca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $913 per month in Penang vs $609 in Malacca, rent included.

Penang $913
Malacca $609

A couple spends around $1,403 per month in Penang vs $970 in Malacca, rent included.

Penang $1,403
Malacca $970

A family of three spends $1,894 per month in Penang vs $1,330 in Malacca, rent included.

Penang $1,894
Malacca $1,330

Penang costs about 50% more than Malacca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Penang and Malacca are more affordable than the global median – Penang 33% lower, Malacca 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 MYR 15.11

$3.23 MYR 13.11

15.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.91 MYR 80.7

$18.02 MYR 73.1

10.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 MYR 19.38

$4.80 MYR 19.46

-0.42%

Cappuccino

$2.98 MYR 12.08

$2.89 MYR 11.72

3.11%

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

$0.75 MYR 3.05

$0.79 MYR 3.18

-5.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.49

$0.55 MYR 2.21

-32.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 MYR 16.46

$1.93 MYR 7.83

110.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.74

$2.90 MYR 11.77

51.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 MYR 7.56

$1.66 MYR 6.74

12.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.39

$1.05 MYR 4.27

2.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.16

$1.48 MYR 5.99

18.92%

Eggs

$2.22 MYR 9.00

$1.68 MYR 6.81

32.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 MYR 54.6

$18.08 MYR 73.3

-25.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.04

$4.63 MYR 18.78

-3.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 MYR 35.27

$10.55 MYR 42.76

-17.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MYR 11.83

$3.29 MYR 13.36

-11.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.68

$1.68 MYR 6.81

-1.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MYR 10.58

$2.39 MYR 9.69

9.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.67

$1.69 MYR 6.87

-17.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 MYR 4.26

$1.41 MYR 5.70

-25.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.53

$1.66 MYR 6.72

-32.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 MYR 4.45

$1.37 MYR 5.57

-19.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MYR 2.38

$0.55 MYR 2.25

7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 MYR 18.99

$4.18 MYR 16.97

12.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.3

$14.21 MYR 57.6

35.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 12.18

$2.14 MYR 8.68

40.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 MYR 21.92

$3.13 MYR 12.70

72.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$0.48 MYR 1.93

4.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.03 MYR 48.76

$12.40 MYR 50.3

-2.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.74

$1.02 MYR 4.13

62.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.53

$0.71 MYR 2.87

-46.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 MYR 30.28

$12.09 MYR 49.02

-38.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 MYR 3.83

$0.51 MYR 2.07

86.27%

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

$44.2K MYR 179.2K

$44.4K MYR 180.2K

-0.55%

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

$35.8K MYR 145.0K

$36.0K MYR 145.9K

-0.60%

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

$36.68 MYR 149

$52.4 MYR 212

-29.97%

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

$9.56 MYR 38.74

$11.33 MYR 45.93

-15.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.49 MYR 120

$28.13 MYR 114

4.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 MYR 159

$21.87 MYR 88.7

79.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.85 MYR 19.68

$11.78 MYR 47.74

-58.83%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MYR 19.37

$4.92 MYR 19.94

-2.85%

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

$398 MYR 1,612

$237 MYR 961

67.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K MYR 43.0K

$4,388 MYR 17.8K

141.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 MYR 247

$54.1 MYR 219

12.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.45 MYR 144

$16.83 MYR 68.2

110.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 MYR 339

$81.9 MYR 332

1.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 MYR 284

$96.7 MYR 392

-27.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 MYR 1,654

$193 MYR 782

111.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 MYR 1,164

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 MYR 2,828

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 MYR 2,165

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,117 MYR 8,580

$1,179 MYR 4,780

79.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,261 MYR 5,111

$794 MYR 3,218

58.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$931 MYR 3,776

$416 MYR 1,686

123.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

4.06

-0.49%

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

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Malacca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Penang

$287 31.5%

Malacca

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Penang

$257 28.2%

Malacca

$258 42.4% 0.4% $1.1

Eating Out

Penang

$113 12.4%

Malacca

$96 15.7% 15.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Penang

$113 12.3%

Malacca

$112 18.5% 0.2% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penang

$76 8.3%

Malacca

$92 15.1% 21.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Penang

$49 5.3%

Malacca

$32 5.2% 35% $17

Getting Around

Penang

$18 1.9%

Malacca

$19 3.1% 7.2% $1.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $408 in Penang versus $193 in Malacca. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Penang are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Penang versus $18 in Malacca. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Penang vs $258 in Malacca – so Penang wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Penang

🇲🇾 Malacca

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

Same time as Penang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,336

579,000

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Penang Malacca 420 km

From you

Penang
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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 Malacca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $913 in Penang, $609 in Malacca – Malacca comes out roughly 33% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,369 per month in Penang and $913 in Malacca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malacca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $193 there versus $408 in Penang.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $913 in Penang and $609 in Malacca. That makes Malacca about 33% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $398 per month in Penang and $237 in Malacca. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $913 in Penang and $609 in Malacca, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Penang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $609 in Malacca to $913 in Penang. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Malacca. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Penang makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.