Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarawak and Penang Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarawak and Penang

🙂 Solo nomad: Sarawak is 0.2% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 5.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sarawak is 1.4% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 11.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.12

$3.07 MYR 12.13

16.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.50 MYR 73.1

$21.19 MYR 83.7

-12.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 MYR 21.00

$4.20 MYR 16.58

26.67%

Cappuccino

$2.72 MYR 10.76

$2.96 MYR 11.71

-8.11%

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

$0.76 MYR 3.02

$0.74 MYR 2.93

2.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.45

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.76 MYR 30.66

$4.49 MYR 17.73

72.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.62 MYR 34.04

$4.40 MYR 17.40

95.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.19

$1.90 MYR 7.52

-4.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 MYR 3.74

$0.99 MYR 3.92

-4.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 MYR 4.95

$2.05 MYR 8.11

-39.02%

Eggs

$2.07 MYR 8.19

$2.15 MYR 8.48

-3.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.13 MYR 59.8

$17.37 MYR 68.6

-12.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.60 MYR 10.29

$5.00 MYR 19.74

-48.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 MYR 36.63

$14.88 MYR 58.8

-37.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MYR 11.32

$2.78 MYR 10.96

3.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MYR 6.00

$1.47 MYR 5.80

3.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MYR 10.34

$2.58 MYR 10.21

1.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.45

$2.19 MYR 8.66

-36.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.68

$1.14 MYR 4.50

3.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 MYR 5.08

$1.20 MYR 4.75

7.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MYR 4.09

$0.89 MYR 3.53

16.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$0.49 MYR 1.93

38.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MYR 16.38

$4.35 MYR 17.18

-4.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.77 MYR 86.0

$19.52 MYR 77.1

11.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 MYR 10.87

$2.62 MYR 10.34

4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MYR 11.41

$3.48 MYR 13.75

-16.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.75

$0.46 MYR 1.80

52.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.84 MYR 46.76

$17.36 MYR 68.6

-31.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.72

$0.68 MYR 2.68

76.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 MYR 3.92

$0.50 MYR 1.98

98.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.95 MYR 23.50

$7.19 MYR 28.39

-17.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 1.99

$0.49 MYR 1.96

2.04%

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

$35.2K MYR 139.1K

$34.0K MYR 134.2K

3.63%

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

$32.0K MYR 126.5K

$27.9K MYR 110.1K

14.94%

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

$43.22 MYR 171

$39.37 MYR 156

9.78%

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

$8.98 MYR 35.46

$10.01 MYR 39.54

-10.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.36 MYR 116

$31.45 MYR 124

-6.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.52 MYR 148

$33.02 MYR 130

13.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.82 MYR 22.98

$5.53 MYR 21.84

5.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 MYR 19.32

$4.81 MYR 19.01

1.66%

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

$191 MYR 755

$237 MYR 937

-19.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,812 MYR 26.9K

$6,252 MYR 24.7K

8.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.39 MYR 144

$54.3 MYR 214

-32.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.41 MYR 156

$29.00 MYR 115

35.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.4 MYR 306

$62.5 MYR 247

23.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.1 MYR 221

$52.4 MYR 207

6.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 MYR 1,322

$394 MYR 1,556

-15.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 MYR 1,056

$230 MYR 910

16.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 MYR 2,013

$641 MYR 2,531

-20.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 MYR 1,411

$517 MYR 2,042

-30.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,750 MYR 6,913

$2,335 MYR 9,224

-25.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$882 MYR 3,484

$1,191 MYR 4,703

-25.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$432 MYR 1,705

$974 MYR 3,849

-55.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.07

4.16

-2.16%

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

Last update for Sarawak: March 3, 2026

Last update for Penang: March 2, 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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