Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Sibu

For one person, living costs are similar in Penang and in Sibu: $913 and $905 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index

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Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Penang and in Sibu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $913 in Penang versus $905 in Sibu.

Penang $913
Sibu $905

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,403 in Penang versus $1,406 in Sibu.

Penang $1,403
Sibu $1,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,894 in Penang versus $1,906 in Sibu.

Penang $1,894
Sibu $1,906

Monthly costs are close between Penang and Sibu; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Penang 33% lower, Sibu 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 MYR 15.11

$2.26 MYR 9.14

65.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.91 MYR 80.7

$19.22 MYR 77.9

3.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 MYR 19.38

$4.23 MYR 17.14

13.00%

Cappuccino

$2.98 MYR 12.08

$2.30 MYR 9.31

29.57%

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

$0.75 MYR 3.05

$0.61 MYR 2.48

22.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.49

$0.23 MYR 0.93

60.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 MYR 16.46

$2.86 MYR 11.60

41.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.74

$4.46 MYR 18.08

-1.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 MYR 7.56

$1.76 MYR 7.14

5.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.39

$0.87 MYR 3.54

24.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.16

$1.33 MYR 5.37

32.33%

Eggs

$2.22 MYR 9.00

$2.18 MYR 8.82

1.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 MYR 54.6

$13.35 MYR 54.1

0.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.04

$4.90 MYR 19.88

-9.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 MYR 35.27

$9.92 MYR 40.23

-12.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MYR 11.83

$2.86 MYR 11.60

2.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.68

$1.81 MYR 7.35

-8.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MYR 10.58

$2.36 MYR 9.58

10.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.67

$1.69 MYR 6.86

-17.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 MYR 4.26

$1.38 MYR 5.59

-23.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.53

$1.33 MYR 5.40

-15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 MYR 4.45

$1.06 MYR 4.28

3.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MYR 2.38

$0.56 MYR 2.28

5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 MYR 18.99

$4.48 MYR 18.18

4.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.3

$19.27 MYR 78.1

0.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 12.18

$3.02 MYR 12.23

-0.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 MYR 21.92

$4.61 MYR 18.71

17.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$0.79 MYR 3.21

-36.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.03 MYR 48.76

$11.49 MYR 46.59

4.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.74

$1.04 MYR 4.24

59.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.53

$0.61 MYR 2.48

-37.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 MYR 30.28

$7.27 MYR 29.47

2.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 MYR 3.83

$0.87 MYR 3.51

9.20%

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

$44.2K MYR 179.2K

$45.5K MYR 184.6K

-2.92%

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

$35.8K MYR 145.0K

$36.2K MYR 146.6K

-1.08%

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

$36.68 MYR 149

$48.91 MYR 198

-25.01%

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

$9.56 MYR 38.74

$7.37 MYR 29.86

29.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.49 MYR 120

$26.21 MYR 106

12.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 MYR 159

$27.13 MYR 110

44.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.85 MYR 19.68

$6.38 MYR 25.88

-23.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MYR 19.37

$3.72 MYR 15.10

28.49%

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

$398 MYR 1,612

$243 MYR 984

63.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K MYR 43.0K

$6,876 MYR 27.9K

54.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 MYR 247

$56.1 MYR 228

8.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.45 MYR 144

$36.43 MYR 148

-2.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 MYR 339

$69.2 MYR 281

20.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 MYR 284

$78.2 MYR 317

-10.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 MYR 1,654

$390 MYR 1,579

4.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 MYR 1,164

$318 MYR 1,288

-9.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 MYR 2,828

-0.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 MYR 2,165

$630 MYR 2,552

-15.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,117 MYR 8,580

$2,136 MYR 8,660

-0.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,261 MYR 5,111

$1,165 MYR 4,723

8.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$931 MYR 3,776

$487 MYR 1,974

91.29%

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 Sibu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Penang

$287 31.5%

Sibu

$318 35.1% 10.6% $30

Groceries & Markets

Penang

$257 28.2%

Sibu

$258 28.6% 0.4% $1.1

Eating Out

Penang

$113 12.4%

Sibu

$85 9.4% 25.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Penang

$113 12.3%

Sibu

$108 11.9% 4.1% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penang

$76 8.3%

Sibu

$82 9.1% 8.9% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Penang

$49 5.3%

Sibu

$35 3.8% 29.1% $14

Getting Around

Penang

$18 1.9%

Sibu

$19 2.1% 6.7% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $408 in Penang and $390 in Sibu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays 91% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Penang vs $19 in Sibu. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $258, with Penang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Penang

🇲🇾 Sibu

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

Same time as Penang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,336

198,239

💱 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 Sibu 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Penang
Sibu

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 Sibu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 91% higher in Penang, 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: $408 in Penang versus $390 in Sibu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sibu – a meal for two runs $19 versus $20 in Penang. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $398 in Penang versus $243 in Sibu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sibu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Sibu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Sibu wins on affordability, Penang on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.