Cost of living comparison
compared to
Penang vs. Malaysia Cost of Living Summary
Penang is 0.7% more expensive than Malaysia overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.7% less in Penang
- Groceries
-
pay 4.7% less in Penang
- Transportation
-
pay 3.1% less in Penang
- Housing
-
pay 10.0% less in Penang
- Childcare
-
pay 20.3% more in Penang
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.3% more in Penang
- Clothing
-
pay 3.9% less in Penang
The cost of childcare and entertainment and sports in Penang are more expensive than in Malaysia. Expenses including housing, groceries, clothing, transportation, and restaurants are lower in Penang.
Penang vs. Malaysia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Penang instead of Malaysia, you would:
pay 1.7% less for restaurants
|
Malaysia
|
Penang
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.22
MYR13.13
|
$3.55
MYR14.49
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.41
MYR17.99
|
$4.27
MYR17.39
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.73
MYR2.97
|
$0.70
MYR2.84
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.39
MYR1.60
|
$0.36
MYR1.45
|
|
Malaysia vs. Penang - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.7% less for groceries
|
Malaysia
|
Penang
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.02
MYR4.15
|
$1.06
MYR4.31
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.79
MYR31.76
|
$7.89
MYR32.17
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.67
MYR27.18
|
$7.04
MYR28.70
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.99
MYR8.10
|
$2.08
MYR8.48
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.93
MYR7.89
|
$2.20
MYR8.98
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.28
MYR5.22
|
$1.06
MYR4.33
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.67
MYR2.71
|
$0.70
MYR2.85
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.29
MYR5.27
|
$1.13
MYR4.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.73
MYR2.99
|
$0.65
MYR2.66
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
MYR2.17
|
$0.37
MYR1.52
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.59
MYR2.39
|
$0.50
MYR2.03
|
|
Malaysia vs. Penang - Cost of groceries
pay 3.1% less for transportation
|
Malaysia
|
Penang
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$1.86
MYR7.56
|
$1.84
MYR7.50
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$15.26
MYR62.23
|
$17.77
MYR72.46
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,849.31
MYR146,157.64
|
$33,767.77
MYR137,671.21
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$6.52
MYR26.57
|
$5.07
MYR20.67
|
|
Malaysia vs. Penang - Cost of transportation
pay 10.0% less for housing
|
Malaysia
|
Penang
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$27.18
MYR110.82
|
$30.78
MYR125.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$349.73
MYR1,425.86
|
$325.83
MYR1,328.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$247.40
MYR1,008.67
|
$196.68
MYR801.87
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$34.37
MYR140.14
|
$25.46
MYR103.79
|
|
Malaysia vs. Penang - Cost of housing
pay 20.3% more for childcare
|
Malaysia
|
Penang
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$170.62
MYR695.62
|
$239.34
MYR975.77
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,229.51
MYR25,397.70
|
$6,250.00
MYR25,481.25
|
|
Malaysia vs. Penang - Cost of childcare
pay 8.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Malaysia
|
Penang
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.72
MYR15.17
|
$4.27
MYR17.39
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.63
MYR10.70
|
$2.91
MYR11.87
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.18
MYR17.03
|
$4.38
MYR17.87
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.40
MYR148.40
|
$32.94
MYR134.29
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$4.62
MYR18.82
|
$5.57
MYR22.70
|
|
Malaysia vs. Penang - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.9% less for clothing
|
Malaysia
|
Penang
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$59.37
MYR242.06
|
$55.09
MYR224.62
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$29.69
MYR121.03
|
$29.03
MYR118.35
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$70.68
MYR288.15
|
$71.09
MYR289.83
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$56.86
MYR231.82
|
$53.02
MYR216.17
|
|
Malaysia 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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