Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $913 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Penang and in Tbilisi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $913 in Penang versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Penang $913
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,403 in Penang versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Penang $1,403
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,894 in Penang versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Penang $1,894
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Penang costs roughly 28% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Penang 33% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 MYR 15.18

$11.63 ₾30.07

-67.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.91 MYR 81.1

$37.83 ₾97.8

-47.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 MYR 19.47

$9.66 ₾24.98

-50.52%

Cappuccino

$2.98 MYR 12.15

$3.57 ₾9.24

-16.53%

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

$0.75 MYR 3.07

$1.08 ₾2.78

-30.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.50

$0.56 ₾1.45

-33.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 MYR 16.55

$2.62 ₾6.78

54.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.83

$3.04 ₾7.85

44.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 MYR 7.60

$2.17 ₾5.60

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.41

$0.80 ₾2.06

35.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.19

$1.74 ₾4.51

1.15%

Eggs

$2.22 MYR 9.04

$2.83 ₾7.31

-21.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 MYR 54.9

$9.31 ₾24.07

44.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.13

$6.52 ₾16.85

-31.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 MYR 35.45

$12.95 ₾33.50

-32.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MYR 11.89

$1.68 ₾4.34

73.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.72

$1.85 ₾4.79

-10.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MYR 10.63

$1.97 ₾5.10

32.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.70

$2.42 ₾6.25

-42.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 MYR 4.28

$0.82 ₾2.11

28.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.55

$0.74 ₾1.91

51.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 MYR 4.47

$1.34 ₾3.47

-17.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MYR 2.39

$0.77 ₾2.00

-23.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 MYR 19.09

$3.57 ₾9.24

31.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.7

$7.67 ₾19.83

151.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 12.24

$1.70 ₾4.39

76.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 MYR 22.04

$2.40 ₾6.21

125.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 MYR 2.04

$0.40 ₾1.05

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.03 MYR 49.00

$15.23 ₾39.38

-21.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.78

$1.14 ₾2.95

45.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.54

$0.78 ₾2.02

-51.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 MYR 30.44

$11.83 ₾30.58

-36.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 MYR 3.85

$1.45 ₾3.75

-34.48%

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

$44.2K MYR 180.1K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

79.81%

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

$35.8K MYR 145.7K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

60.10%

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

$36.68 MYR 149

$88.8 ₾230

-58.69%

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

$9.56 MYR 38.94

$13.12 ₾33.93

-27.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.49 MYR 120

$19.67 ₾50.9

49.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 MYR 160

$64.1 ₾166

-38.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.85 MYR 19.78

$19.04 ₾49.24

-74.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MYR 19.47

$7.12 ₾18.42

-32.87%

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

$398 MYR 1,620

$375 ₾971

5.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K MYR 43.2K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

1.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 MYR 248

$104 ₾268

-41.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.45 MYR 144

$39.26 ₾102

-9.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 MYR 340

$117 ₾303

-28.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 MYR 286

$122 ₾315

-42.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 MYR 1,662

$695 ₾1,798

-41.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 MYR 1,170

$451 ₾1,167

-36.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 MYR 2,842

$1,355 ₾3,504

-48.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 MYR 2,176

$906 ₾2,343

-41.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,117 MYR 8,624

$2,295 ₾5,934

-7.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,261 MYR 5,137

$1,345 ₾3,478

-6.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$931 MYR 3,795

$664 ₾1,718

40.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

12.62

-67.99%

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

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Penang

$287 31.5%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 57.1% $164

Groceries & Markets

Penang

$257 28.2%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 9.1% $23

Eating Out

Penang

$113 12.4%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 68% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Penang

$113 12.3%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 52.7% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penang

$76 8.3%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 60.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Penang

$49 5.3%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 60.6% $30

Getting Around

Penang

$18 1.9%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 24.5% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $408 in Penang and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays 40% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20 in Penang vs $38 in Tbilisi. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $234, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Penang

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

21:47 9:47 PM

4 h behind Penang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,336

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Penang Tbilisi 6,790 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Penang
Tbilisi

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 Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penang is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 40% 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 $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Penang – a meal for two runs $20 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $913 per month in Penang versus $1,269 in Tbilisi – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 Tbilisi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.