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

🙂 Solo nomad: Penang is 2.1% cheaper than Shah Alam without rent, and 3.1% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 23.5% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 9.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 MYR 12.54

$2.99 MYR 12.61

-0.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 MYR 87.9

$18.48 MYR 77.9

12.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.34 MYR 18.32

$4.35 MYR 18.33

-0.23%

Cappuccino

$2.84 MYR 11.97

$2.7 MYR 11.41

5.19%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.89

$0.71 MYR 3

-2.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.52

$0.39 MYR 1.65

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.84

$3.59 MYR 15.15

17.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MYR 18.6

$4.38 MYR 18.45

0.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.65

$1.87 MYR 7.87

-2.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 4.18

$0.95 MYR 4.02

4.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.62

$1.49 MYR 6.27

36.91%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

$2.13 MYR 8.99

-3.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 MYR 72.2

$14.22 MYR 60

20.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.23 MYR 22.05

$5.05 MYR 21.29

3.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 MYR 62.3

$8.11 MYR 34.21

82.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 MYR 12.25

$2.79 MYR 11.77

4.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 6.18

$1.51 MYR 6.35

-3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.92

$2.45 MYR 10.35

5.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 MYR 8.88

$1.24 MYR 5.24

70.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.98

$1.15 MYR 4.83

2.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.1

$1.39 MYR 5.85

-12.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 MYR 3.82

$0.91 MYR 3.84

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.91

$0.52 MYR 2.19

-13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.73

$4.18 MYR 17.61

0.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.1 MYR 59.5

$18.09 MYR 76.3

-22.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.44

$2.7 MYR 11.38

0.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.65

$3.92 MYR 16.53

-11.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 MYR 2.05

$0.73 MYR 3.08

-32.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.98 MYR 75.8

$15.15 MYR 63.9

18.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 MYR 3.04

$0.97 MYR 4.07

-25.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.5 MYR 2.1

$0.54 MYR 2.29

-7.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7 MYR 29.53

$6.89 MYR 29.07

1.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.96

$0.5 MYR 2.1

-8.00%

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

$33.6K MYR 141.7K

$33.9K MYR 142.8K

-0.78%

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

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

$27.9K MYR 117.6K

-2.87%

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

$39.21 MYR 165

$41.07 MYR 173

-4.53%

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

$10.33 MYR 43.55

$10.23 MYR 43.14

0.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 MYR 131

$30.49 MYR 129

2.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.59 MYR 137

$39.06 MYR 165

-16.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.59 MYR 23.59

$5.98 MYR 25.24

-6.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 21.15

$6.17 MYR 26.02

-18.80%

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

$241 MYR 1,014

$209 MYR 882

14.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,174 MYR 26K

$6,113 MYR 25.8K

1.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 MYR 233

$49.07 MYR 207

12.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 MYR 120

$34.66 MYR 146

-18.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 MYR 258

$61.7 MYR 260

-0.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 MYR 226

$48.64 MYR 205

10.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 MYR 1,637

$364 MYR 1,536

6.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 968

$262 MYR 1,105

-12.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 MYR 2,700

$575 MYR 2,425

11.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 MYR 2,201

$477 MYR 2,010

9.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

$1,457 MYR 6,145

66.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 MYR 6,247

$1,158 MYR 4,883

27.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 MYR 4,643

$1,199 MYR 5,057

-8.19%

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: October 26, 2025

Last update for Shah Alam: October 27, 2025

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