Cost of living comparison
compared to
Penang vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary
Penang is 5.8% cheaper than Beijing.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.1% more in Penang
- Groceries
-
pay 10.0% more in Penang
- Transportation
-
pay 1.3% less in Penang
- Housing
-
pay 5.9% less in Penang
- Childcare
-
pay 69.7% less in Penang
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 41.6% more in Penang
- Clothing
-
pay 23.6% less in Penang
The cost of entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants in Penang are more expensive than in Beijing. Expenses including childcare, clothing, housing, and transportation are lower in Penang.
Penang vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Penang instead of Beijing, you would:
pay 8.1% more for restaurants
|
Beijing
|
Penang
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.21
CN¥29.74
|
$3.55
MYR14.61
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.91
CN¥34.69
|
$4.27
MYR17.54
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.48
CN¥3.39
|
$0.70
MYR2.86
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.31
CN¥2.17
|
$0.36
MYR1.46
|
|
Beijing vs. Penang - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.0% more for groceries
|
Beijing
|
Penang
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.71
CN¥12.07
|
$1.06
MYR4.35
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.47
CN¥52.80
|
$7.89
MYR32.44
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.64
CN¥46.96
|
$7.04
MYR28.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.78
CN¥12.56
|
$2.08
MYR8.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.53
CN¥10.83
|
$2.20
MYR9.06
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.98
CN¥6.95
|
$1.06
MYR4.36
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.44
|
$0.70
MYR2.87
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.80
CN¥5.66
|
$1.13
MYR4.64
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.60
CN¥4.26
|
$0.65
MYR2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.35
CN¥2.46
|
$0.37
MYR1.53
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.41
CN¥2.92
|
$0.50
MYR2.05
|
|
Beijing vs. Penang - Cost of groceries
pay 1.3% less for transportation
|
Beijing
|
Penang
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.21
CN¥29.77
|
$1.84
MYR7.56
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$31.54
CN¥223.02
|
$17.77
MYR73.06
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$18,225.66
CN¥128,857.25
|
$33,767.77
MYR138,819.31
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.63
CN¥32.71
|
$5.07
MYR20.85
|
|
Beijing vs. Penang - Cost of transportation
pay 5.9% less for housing
|
Beijing
|
Penang
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$12.93
CN¥91.43
|
$30.78
MYR126.52
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$935.23
CN¥6,612.19
|
$325.83
MYR1,339.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$504.41
CN¥3,566.20
|
$196.68
MYR808.56
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$39.27
CN¥277.61
|
$25.46
MYR104.65
|
|
Beijing vs. Penang - Cost of housing
pay 69.7% less for childcare
|
Beijing
|
Penang
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$710.76
CN¥5,025.17
|
$239.34
MYR983.91
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,242.73
CN¥164,328.40
|
$6,250.00
MYR25,693.75
|
|
Beijing vs. Penang - Cost of childcare
pay 41.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Beijing
|
Penang
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.12
CN¥7.93
|
$4.27
MYR17.54
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.90
CN¥20.52
|
$2.91
MYR11.97
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.21
CN¥29.74
|
$4.38
MYR18.02
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$57.84
CN¥408.91
|
$32.94
MYR135.41
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.41
CN¥59.47
|
$5.57
MYR22.89
|
|
Beijing vs. Penang - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.6% less for clothing
|
Beijing
|
Penang
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.30
CN¥440.46
|
$55.09
MYR226.49
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.37
CN¥257.16
|
$29.03
MYR119.34
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.74
CN¥577.91
|
$71.09
MYR292.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.53
CN¥746.11
|
$53.02
MYR217.97
|
|
Beijing vs. Penang - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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