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

🙂 Solo nomad: Sarawak is 2.6% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 7.6% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sarawak is 18.5% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 11.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.43 MYR 14.48

$2.97 MYR 12.54

15.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.12 MYR 80.6

$20.84 MYR 87.9

-8.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.41 MYR 22.82

$4.34 MYR 18.32

24.65%

Cappuccino

$2.81 MYR 11.86

$2.84 MYR 11.97

-1.06%

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

$0.73 MYR 3.06

$0.69 MYR 2.89

5.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.54

$0.36 MYR 1.52

2.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.58 MYR 31.98

$4.23 MYR 17.84

79.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 MYR 34.97

$4.41 MYR 18.6

87.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.95

$1.82 MYR 7.65

3.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MYR 4.32

$0.99 MYR 4.18

3.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 MYR 5.46

$2.04 MYR 8.62

-36.76%

Eggs

$2.11 MYR 8.88

$2.05 MYR 8.63

2.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.77 MYR 62.3

$17.11 MYR 72.2

-13.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.56 MYR 10.79

$5.23 MYR 22.05

-51.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.3 MYR 39.21

$14.77 MYR 62.3

-37.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.9 MYR 12.23

$2.91 MYR 12.25

-0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.36

$1.46 MYR 6.18

3.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MYR 10.51

$2.59 MYR 10.92

-3.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.83

$2.11 MYR 8.88

-34.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.19

$1.18 MYR 4.98

4.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 MYR 5.43

$1.21 MYR 5.1

6.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 MYR 4.43

$0.91 MYR 3.82

15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.81

$0.45 MYR 1.91

48.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.69

$4.2 MYR 17.73

Wine (Bottle)

$16.1 MYR 67.9

$14.1 MYR 59.5

14.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 MYR 11.58

$2.71 MYR 11.44

1.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 MYR 12.33

$3.47 MYR 14.65

-15.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MYR 3.07

$0.49 MYR 2.05

48.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12 MYR 50.6

$17.98 MYR 75.8

-33.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 5.11

$0.72 MYR 3.04

68.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1 MYR 4.2

$0.5 MYR 2.1

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 MYR 24.21

$7 MYR 29.53

-18.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.98

$0.46 MYR 1.96

2.17%

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

$35.6K MYR 150.1K

$33.6K MYR 141.7K

5.94%

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

$30.9K MYR 130.2K

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

13.92%

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

$43.74 MYR 184

$39.21 MYR 165

11.55%

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

$8.91 MYR 37.56

$10.33 MYR 43.55

-13.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.62 MYR 125

$31.17 MYR 131

-4.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.06 MYR 156

$32.59 MYR 137

13.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.87 MYR 24.76

$5.59 MYR 23.59

5.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 MYR 21.3

$5.01 MYR 21.15

0.80%

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

$185 MYR 782

$241 MYR 1,014

-22.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,866 MYR 29K

$6,174 MYR 26K

11.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37 MYR 156

$55.3 MYR 233

-33.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.29 MYR 161

$28.42 MYR 120

34.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 MYR 334

$61.2 MYR 258

29.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.9 MYR 240

$53.6 MYR 226

6.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$328 MYR 1,383

$388 MYR 1,637

-15.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 MYR 1,162

$230 MYR 968

19.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,155

$640 MYR 2,700

-20.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 MYR 1,496

$522 MYR 2,201

-32.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,740 MYR 7,338

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

-28.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,159 MYR 4,888

$1,481 MYR 6,247

-21.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 MYR 1,725

$1,101 MYR 4,643

-62.85%

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: October 29, 2025

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2025

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