Cost of Living Comparison Between Shah Alam and Penang Cost of Living Comparison Between Shah Alam and Penang

🙂 Solo nomad: Shah Alam is 9.3% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 1.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Shah Alam is 6.7% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 5.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.10 MYR 12.22

$3.07 MYR 12.10

0.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.09 MYR 75.2

$21.19 MYR 83.5

-9.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.36 MYR 17.20

$4.20 MYR 16.53

3.81%

Cappuccino

$2.70 MYR 10.63

$2.96 MYR 11.68

-8.78%

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

$0.67 MYR 2.63

$0.74 MYR 2.92

-9.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.56

$0.37 MYR 1.44

8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.63 MYR 14.29

$4.49 MYR 17.69

-19.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 MYR 17.53

$4.40 MYR 17.35

1.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.40

$1.90 MYR 7.50

-1.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 3.94

$0.99 MYR 3.91

1.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 5.85

$2.05 MYR 8.09

-27.80%

Eggs

$2.07 MYR 8.16

$2.15 MYR 8.46

-3.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.99 MYR 55.1

$17.37 MYR 68.4

-19.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.10 MYR 20.11

$5.00 MYR 19.69

2.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.35 MYR 32.90

$14.88 MYR 58.6

-43.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 MYR 11.56

$2.78 MYR 10.93

5.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.73

$1.47 MYR 5.79

-1.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.16

$2.58 MYR 10.18

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 MYR 4.98

$2.19 MYR 8.64

-42.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.66

$1.14 MYR 4.49

3.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.28

$1.20 MYR 4.73

11.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.76

$0.89 MYR 3.52

6.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.08

$0.49 MYR 1.93

8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MYR 16.74

$4.35 MYR 17.13

-2.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.61 MYR 77.3

$19.52 MYR 76.9

0.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 10.69

$2.62 MYR 10.32

3.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 MYR 15.43

$3.48 MYR 13.71

12.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MYR 2.70

$0.46 MYR 1.80

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.40 MYR 60.7

$17.36 MYR 68.4

-11.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.82

$0.68 MYR 2.68

42.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MYR 2.14

$0.50 MYR 1.98

8.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 MYR 28.69

$7.19 MYR 28.32

1.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 1.96

$0.49 MYR 1.95

2.04%

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

$33.9K MYR 133.5K

$34.0K MYR 133.9K

-0.30%

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

$27.4K MYR 107.8K

$27.9K MYR 109.8K

-1.83%

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

$41.23 MYR 162

$39.37 MYR 155

4.72%

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

$10.06 MYR 39.64

$10.01 MYR 39.44

0.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.59 MYR 121

$31.45 MYR 124

-2.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.83 MYR 149

$33.02 MYR 130

14.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.97 MYR 23.53

$5.53 MYR 21.78

7.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 MYR 24.29

$4.81 MYR 18.96

28.27%

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

$214 MYR 844

$237 MYR 934

-9.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,253 MYR 24.6K

$6,252 MYR 24.6K

0.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.91 MYR 197

$54.3 MYR 214

-8.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 MYR 138

$29.00 MYR 114

20.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 MYR 238

$62.5 MYR 246

-3.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.52 MYR 195

$52.4 MYR 207

-5.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$372 MYR 1,466

$394 MYR 1,552

-5.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 MYR 1,058

$230 MYR 907

16.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 MYR 2,310

$641 MYR 2,524

-8.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$488 MYR 1,922

$517 MYR 2,037

-5.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,561 MYR 6,151

$2,335 MYR 9,201

-33.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,215 MYR 4,789

$1,191 MYR 4,691

2.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,277 MYR 5,032

$974 MYR 3,839

31.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

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

Last update for Shah Alam: 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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