Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skudai and Penang

For one person, living costs are similar in Skudai and in Penang: $889 and $856 a month, rent and utilities included.

43

Cost of Living Index in Skudai
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Skudai Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Skudai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$889

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$856

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $889 in Skudai versus $856 in Penang.

Skudai $889
Penang $856

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,325 in Skudai versus $1,310 in Penang.

Skudai $1,325
Penang $1,310

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,761 in Skudai versus $1,764 in Penang.

Skudai $1,761
Penang $1,764

Living in Skudai is roughly 4% more expensive than in Penang.

Both cities sit below the global median: Skudai 34% lower, Penang 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.69 MYR 15.06

$3.74 MYR 15.29

-1.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 MYR 76.1

$19.62 MYR 80.2

-5.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 MYR 20.21

$4.63 MYR 18.92

6.91%

Cappuccino

$2.84 MYR 11.61

$2.88 MYR 11.75

-1.39%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.16

$0.72 MYR 2.93

6.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 MYR 1.81

$0.37 MYR 1.51

18.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MYR 13.10

$4.18 MYR 17.08

-23.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.82 MYR 23.76

$4.49 MYR 18.35

29.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 6.78

$1.80 MYR 7.33

-7.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.22

$1.09 MYR 4.44

-5.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.04

$1.73 MYR 7.06

-14.45%

Eggs

$1.65 MYR 6.75

$2.24 MYR 9.14

-26.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 MYR 39.38

$13.48 MYR 55.1

-28.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 MYR 13.58

$4.33 MYR 17.69

-23.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 MYR 38.42

$8.44 MYR 34.48

11.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 MYR 13.47

$2.96 MYR 12.10

11.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.81

$1.71 MYR 6.98

-2.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 MYR 11.21

$2.70 MYR 11.01

1.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.81

$1.46 MYR 5.95

14.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.05

$1.07 MYR 4.36

38.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.75

$1.08 MYR 4.41

52.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 MYR 5.35

$1.14 MYR 4.66

14.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$0.58 MYR 2.36

-12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 MYR 16.93

$4.60 MYR 18.77

-10.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.92 MYR 56.9

$18.94 MYR 77.4

-26.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.08

$2.92 MYR 11.92

-7.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 MYR 12.13

$5.15 MYR 21.03

-42.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 3.04

$0.50 MYR 2.06

48.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.40 MYR 50.6

$12.35 MYR 50.5

0.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.95

$1.73 MYR 7.05

-43.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 MYR 1.45

$0.37 MYR 1.53

-2.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.72 MYR 35.61

$7.38 MYR 30.13

18.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.32

$0.95 MYR 3.88

-14.74%

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

$42.1K MYR 172.1K

$45.2K MYR 184.7K

-6.82%

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

$33.2K MYR 135.7K

$34.9K MYR 142.6K

-4.81%

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

$48.84 MYR 200

$36.48 MYR 149

33.88%

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

$8.07 MYR 32.95

$9.94 MYR 40.61

-18.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.60 MYR 109

$28.72 MYR 117

-7.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.50 MYR 165

$38.98 MYR 159

3.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.02 MYR 28.69

$4.83 MYR 19.73

45.34%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MYR 19.53

$5.01 MYR 20.48

-4.59%

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

$165 MYR 676

$427 MYR 1,742

-61.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,487 MYR 18.3K

$10.8K MYR 44.1K

-58.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 MYR 214

$60.0 MYR 245

-12.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.35 MYR 66.8

$35.02 MYR 143

-53.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 MYR 311

$84.0 MYR 343

-9.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 MYR 353

$70.5 MYR 288

22.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 MYR 1,671

$400 MYR 1,633

2.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 MYR 1,214

$234 MYR 957

26.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$670 MYR 2,738

$606 MYR 2,477

10.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 MYR 1,953

$411 MYR 1,681

16.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,056 MYR 8,398

$2,161 MYR 8,829

-4.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,074 MYR 4,386

$1,087 MYR 4,439

-1.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$942 MYR 3,847

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 Skudai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skudai

$297 33.4%

Penang

$234 27.4% 21.1% $63

Groceries & Markets

Skudai

$225 25.4%

Penang

$255 29.8% 13% $29

Eating Out

Skudai

$111 12.5%

Penang

$113 13.2% 1.5% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Skudai

$104 11.7%

Penang

$112 13.1% 7.9% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skudai

$84 9.4%

Penang

$75 8.8% 10% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Skudai

$50 5.6%

Penang

$49 5.7% 2.1% $1.1

Getting Around

Skudai

$18 2%

Penang

$18 2.1% 0.8% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Skudai and $400 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Skudai vs $20 in Penang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $255 per month, with Skudai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Skudai

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

Same time as Skudai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,733

158,336

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Skudai Penang 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Skudai
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

Skudai vs Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skudai and Penang differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($889 vs $856 including rent). Penang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,334 in Skudai and $1,284 in Penang to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $409 in Skudai versus $400 in Penang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $165 in Skudai versus $427 in Penang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Penang gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Skudai 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.