Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sibu and Penang

For one person, living costs are similar in Sibu and in Penang: $905 and $913 a month, rent and utilities included.

42

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$905

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sibu 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 Sibu and in Penang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $905 in Sibu versus $913 in Penang.

Sibu $905
Penang $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,406 in Sibu versus $1,403 in Penang.

Sibu $1,406
Penang $1,403

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,906 in Sibu versus $1,894 in Penang.

Sibu $1,906
Penang $1,894

Monthly costs are close between Sibu and Penang; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sibu 34% lower, Penang 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 MYR 9.15

$3.73 MYR 15.12

-39.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.22 MYR 78.0

$19.91 MYR 80.8

-3.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.23 MYR 17.15

$4.78 MYR 19.39

-11.51%

Cappuccino

$2.30 MYR 9.31

$2.98 MYR 12.09

-22.82%

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

$0.61 MYR 2.48

$0.75 MYR 3.05

-18.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.93

$0.37 MYR 1.49

-37.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 MYR 11.61

$4.06 MYR 16.47

-29.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MYR 18.10

$4.38 MYR 17.75

1.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MYR 7.15

$1.86 MYR 7.56

-5.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$1.08 MYR 4.39

-19.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.38

$1.76 MYR 7.16

-24.43%

Eggs

$2.18 MYR 8.83

$2.22 MYR 9.00

-1.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.35 MYR 54.1

$13.46 MYR 54.6

-0.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 MYR 19.90

$4.45 MYR 18.06

10.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 MYR 40.26

$8.70 MYR 35.30

14.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MYR 11.61

$2.92 MYR 11.84

-2.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 MYR 7.36

$1.65 MYR 6.69

9.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 MYR 9.58

$2.61 MYR 10.59

-9.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.87

$1.40 MYR 5.67

20.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.59

$1.05 MYR 4.26

31.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.41

$1.12 MYR 4.53

18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MYR 4.29

$1.10 MYR 4.45

-3.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.28

$0.59 MYR 2.38

-5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MYR 18.19

$4.69 MYR 19.01

-4.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.27 MYR 78.2

$19.31 MYR 78.4

-0.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.24

$3.00 MYR 12.19

0.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.72

$5.41 MYR 21.94

-14.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$0.50 MYR 2.03

58.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.49 MYR 46.62

$12.03 MYR 48.79

-4.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 MYR 4.24

$1.66 MYR 6.75

-37.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 MYR 2.48

$0.38 MYR 1.53

60.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.27 MYR 29.49

$7.47 MYR 30.31

-2.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.51

$0.95 MYR 3.83

-8.42%

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

$45.5K MYR 184.7K

$44.2K MYR 179.3K

3.01%

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

$36.2K MYR 146.7K

$35.8K MYR 145.1K

1.09%

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

$48.91 MYR 198

$36.68 MYR 149

33.34%

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

$7.37 MYR 29.89

$9.56 MYR 38.77

-22.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 MYR 106

$29.49 MYR 120

-11.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.13 MYR 110

$39.20 MYR 159

-30.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.38 MYR 25.90

$4.85 MYR 19.69

31.55%

Cinema Ticket

$3.72 MYR 15.11

$4.78 MYR 19.39

-22.18%

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

$243 MYR 985

$398 MYR 1,613

-38.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,876 MYR 27.9K

$10.6K MYR 43.0K

-35.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 MYR 228

$60.9 MYR 247

-7.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 MYR 148

$35.45 MYR 144

2.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 MYR 281

$83.6 MYR 339

-17.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 MYR 317

$70.2 MYR 285

11.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 MYR 1,580

$408 MYR 1,655

-4.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 MYR 1,289

$287 MYR 1,165

10.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 MYR 2,830

0.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 MYR 2,554

$534 MYR 2,167

17.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,136 MYR 8,667

$2,117 MYR 8,587

0.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 MYR 4,727

$1,261 MYR 5,115

-7.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$487 MYR 1,975

$931 MYR 3,779

-47.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

4.04

0.50%

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

Last update for Sibu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sibu

$318 35.1%

Penang

$287 31.5% 9.6% $30

Groceries & Markets

Sibu

$258 28.6%

Penang

$257 28.2% 0.4% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Sibu

$108 11.9%

Penang

$113 12.3% 4.2% $4.6

Eating Out

Sibu

$85 9.4%

Penang

$113 12.4% 33.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sibu

$82 9.1%

Penang

$76 8.3% 8.2% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Sibu

$35 3.8%

Penang

$49 5.3% 41% $14

Getting Around

Sibu

$19 2.1%

Penang

$18 1.9% 6.3% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $390 in Sibu and $408 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays 91% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Sibu vs $20 in Penang. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $257, with Penang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sibu

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

Same time as Sibu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,239

158,336

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sibu Penang 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sibu
Penang

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

Sibu vs Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Sibu. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $390 in Sibu versus $408 in Penang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sibu – a meal for two runs $19 versus $20 in Penang. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $243 in Sibu versus $398 in Penang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sibu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Sibu and Penang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Sibu wins on affordability, Penang on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.