Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Setia Alam and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $852 a month against $913 in Setia Alam, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Setia Alam outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Setia Alam
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Setia Alam Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Setia Alam and in Penang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Setia Alam and in Penang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $913 in Setia Alam versus $852 in Penang.

Setia Alam $913
Penang $852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,358 in Setia Alam versus $1,307 in Penang.

Setia Alam $1,358
Penang $1,307

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,803 in Setia Alam versus $1,763 in Penang.

Setia Alam $1,803
Penang $1,763

Living in Setia Alam is roughly 7% more expensive than in Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Setia Alam 32% lower, Penang 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.81 MYR 19.61

$3.72 MYR 15.18

29.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.57 MYR 100

$19.53 MYR 79.7

25.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 MYR 20.22

$4.53 MYR 18.47

9.49%

Cappuccino

$2.76 MYR 11.27

$2.92 MYR 11.89

-5.48%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.23

$0.78 MYR 3.17

1.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.40 MYR 1.63

17.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.32 MYR 17.63

$4.12 MYR 16.81

4.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 MYR 24.50

$4.54 MYR 18.51

32.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MYR 6.09

$1.88 MYR 7.65

-20.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$1.08 MYR 4.41

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.59 MYR 2.42

$1.77 MYR 7.21

-66.67%

Eggs

$1.20 MYR 4.91

$2.17 MYR 8.85

-44.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.82 MYR 56.4

$13.69 MYR 55.9

0.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.41 MYR 9.83

$4.30 MYR 17.56

-43.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.41 MYR 9.83

$8.79 MYR 35.86

-72.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.04

$2.95 MYR 12.05

-57.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.47

$1.71 MYR 6.96

7.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 MYR 5.11

$2.75 MYR 11.21

-54.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.91

$1.41 MYR 5.76

-14.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$1.07 MYR 4.36

-33.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 MYR 3.03

$1.07 MYR 4.37

-30.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 MYR 2.87

$1.09 MYR 4.43

-35.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 MYR 2.95

$0.57 MYR 2.33

26.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MYR 17.64

$4.61 MYR 18.80

-6.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.60 MYR 80.0

$19.15 MYR 78.1

2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.64

$2.91 MYR 11.88

23.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MYR 19.84

$5.19 MYR 21.18

-6.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.08

$0.47 MYR 1.92

61.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.31 MYR 50.2

$12.23 MYR 49.87

0.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$1.68 MYR 6.86

-26.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 MYR 4.88

$0.41 MYR 1.66

192.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.78 MYR 19.49

$7.14 MYR 29.12

-33.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$0.93 MYR 3.80

-48.39%

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

$39.2K MYR 159.9K

$42.3K MYR 172.6K

-7.39%

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

$33.0K MYR 134.7K

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

-7.77%

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

$61.2 MYR 250

$37.07 MYR 151

65.01%

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

$8.52 MYR 34.77

$9.84 MYR 40.13

-13.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MYR 106

$28.79 MYR 117

-9.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.73 MYR 203

$38.22 MYR 156

30.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.97 MYR 28.44

$4.97 MYR 20.28

40.24%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MYR 20.82

$4.82 MYR 19.67

5.81%

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

$135 MYR 551

$423 MYR 1,726

-68.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,885 MYR 32.2K

$10.8K MYR 44.1K

-27.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MYR 296

$58.9 MYR 240

23.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.31 MYR 111

$35.27 MYR 144

-22.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.8 MYR 220

$83.9 MYR 342

-35.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.56 MYR 149

$71.0 MYR 290

-48.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 MYR 2,160

$406 MYR 1,658

30.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 MYR 1,319

$229 MYR 934

41.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 MYR 3,562

$612 MYR 2,496

42.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 MYR 2,238

$408 MYR 1,663

34.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,992 MYR 8,128

$2,223 MYR 9,070

-10.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,102 MYR 4,498

$1,070 MYR 4,365

3.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,143 MYR 4,663

$907 MYR 3,702

25.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

-0.99%

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

Last update for Setia Alam: October 10, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Setia Alam

$323 35.4%

Penang

$229 26.9% 29.2% $94

Groceries & Markets

Setia Alam

$200 21.9%

Penang

$257 30.2% 28.4% $57

Eating Out

Setia Alam

$125 13.7%

Penang

$113 13.2% 9.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Setia Alam

$96 10.5%

Penang

$76 8.9% 20.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Setia Alam

$86 9.4%

Penang

$112 13.2% 30.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Setia Alam

$60 6.6%

Penang

$48 5.6% 20.1% $12

Getting Around

Setia Alam

$23 2.5%

Penang

$18 2.1% 20.9% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $529 in Setia Alam and $406 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Setia Alam pays 26% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $25.00 in Setia Alam vs $20.00 in Penang. Groceries flip the comparison at $200 vs $257, with Setia Alam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

Same time as Setia Alam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,000

158,336

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Setia Alam Penang 290 km

From you

Setia Alam
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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

Setia Alam vs Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penang is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Setia Alam, 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: $529 in Setia Alam versus $406 in Penang. 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 $20.00 versus $25.00 in Setia Alam. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $913 per month in Setia Alam versus $852 in Penang – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $852 in Penang versus $913 in Setia Alam, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Penang but tight or insufficient in Setia Alam. The gap between the two cities makes Penang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Penang is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Setia Alam, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Setia Alam and Penang are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Penang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Setia Alam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.