Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Shah Alam Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Shah Alam

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 10.3% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 1.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 7.2% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 5.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 MYR 12.10

$3.10 MYR 12.22

-0.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.19 MYR 83.5

$19.09 MYR 75.2

11.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.20 MYR 16.53

$4.36 MYR 17.20

-3.67%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 11.68

$2.70 MYR 10.63

9.63%

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

$0.74 MYR 2.92

$0.67 MYR 2.63

10.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.44

$0.40 MYR 1.56

-7.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 MYR 17.69

$3.63 MYR 14.29

23.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MYR 17.35

$4.45 MYR 17.53

-1.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 MYR 7.50

$1.88 MYR 7.40

1.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 3.91

$1.00 MYR 3.94

-1.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MYR 8.09

$1.48 MYR 5.85

38.51%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.46

$2.07 MYR 8.16

3.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.37 MYR 68.4

$13.99 MYR 55.1

24.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 MYR 19.69

$5.10 MYR 20.11

-1.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 MYR 58.6

$8.35 MYR 32.90

78.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MYR 10.93

$2.93 MYR 11.56

-5.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.79

$1.45 MYR 5.73

1.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.18

$2.58 MYR 10.16

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MYR 8.64

$1.26 MYR 4.98

73.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.49

$1.18 MYR 4.66

-3.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.73

$1.34 MYR 5.28

-10.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 MYR 3.52

$0.95 MYR 3.76

-6.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MYR 1.93

$0.53 MYR 2.08

-7.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 MYR 17.13

$4.25 MYR 16.74

2.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.52 MYR 76.9

$19.61 MYR 77.3

-0.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.32

$2.71 MYR 10.69

-3.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 MYR 13.71

$3.92 MYR 15.43

-11.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.80

$0.69 MYR 2.70

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.36 MYR 68.4

$15.40 MYR 60.7

12.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$0.97 MYR 3.82

-29.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 1.98

$0.54 MYR 2.14

-7.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 MYR 28.32

$7.28 MYR 28.69

-1.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.95

$0.50 MYR 1.96

-2.00%

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

$34.0K MYR 133.9K

$33.9K MYR 133.5K

0.30%

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

$27.9K MYR 109.8K

$27.4K MYR 107.8K

1.87%

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

$39.37 MYR 155

$41.23 MYR 162

-4.51%

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

$10.01 MYR 39.44

$10.06 MYR 39.64

-0.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 MYR 124

$30.59 MYR 121

2.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.02 MYR 130

$37.83 MYR 149

-12.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.53 MYR 21.78

$5.97 MYR 23.53

-7.37%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 18.96

$6.17 MYR 24.29

-22.04%

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

$237 MYR 934

$214 MYR 844

10.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,252 MYR 24.6K

$6,253 MYR 24.6K

-0.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 214

$49.91 MYR 197

8.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.00 MYR 114

$34.95 MYR 138

-17.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 MYR 246

$60.4 MYR 238

3.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MYR 207

$49.52 MYR 195

5.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MYR 1,552

$372 MYR 1,466

5.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 907

$268 MYR 1,058

-14.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MYR 2,524

$586 MYR 2,310

9.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$517 MYR 2,037

$488 MYR 1,922

5.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,335 MYR 9,201

$1,561 MYR 6,151

49.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,691

$1,215 MYR 4,789

-2.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$974 MYR 3,839

$1,277 MYR 5,032

-23.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

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

Last update for Penang: March 2, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: March 3, 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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