Cost of living comparison
compared to
Manila vs. Penang Cost of Living Summary
Manila is 35.1% more expensive than Penang.
- Restaurants
-
pay 37.8% more in Manila
- Groceries
-
pay 49.7% more in Manila
- Transportation
-
pay 9.3% more in Manila
- Housing
-
pay 92.0% more in Manila
- Childcare
-
pay 65.2% more in Manila
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.0% less in Manila
- Clothing
-
pay 0.2% less in Manila
The cost of housing, childcare, groceries, restaurants, and transportation in Manila are more expensive than in Penang. Expenses including entertainment and sports and clothing are lower in Manila. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Manila.
Manila vs. Penang Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Manila instead of Penang, you would:
pay 37.8% more for restaurants
|
Penang
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.55
MYR14.61
|
$6.02
₱355.03
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.27
MYR17.54
|
$4.30
₱253.60
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.70
MYR2.86
|
$0.97
₱57.27
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.36
MYR1.46
|
$0.50
₱29.69
|
|
Penang vs. Manila - Cost of restaurants
pay 49.7% more for groceries
|
Penang
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.06
MYR4.35
|
$1.33
₱78.64
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.89
MYR32.44
|
$4.28
₱252.12
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.04
MYR28.94
|
$7.32
₱431.63
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.08
MYR8.55
|
$2.21
₱130.51
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.20
MYR9.06
|
$2.28
₱134.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.06
MYR4.36
|
$1.52
₱89.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.70
MYR2.87
|
$0.82
₱48.49
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.13
MYR4.64
|
$1.64
₱96.51
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.65
MYR2.68
|
$1.02
₱60.36
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.37
MYR1.53
|
$1.17
₱68.98
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.50
MYR2.05
|
$1.37
₱81.04
|
|
Penang vs. Manila - Cost of groceries
pay 9.3% more for transportation
|
Penang
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$1.84
MYR7.56
|
$4.18
₱246.46
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$17.77
MYR73.06
|
$13.76
₱811.51
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,767.77
MYR138,819.31
|
$25,288.58
₱1,491,141.28
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.07
MYR20.85
|
$2.92
₱172.44
|
|
Penang vs. Manila - Cost of transportation
pay 92.0% more for housing
|
Penang
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$30.78
MYR126.52
|
$27.10
₱1,598.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$325.83
MYR1,339.48
|
$512.96
₱30,246.98
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$196.68
MYR808.56
|
$251.74
₱14,843.72
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$25.46
MYR104.65
|
$100.49
₱5,925.44
|
|
Penang vs. Manila - Cost of housing
pay 65.2% more for childcare
|
Penang
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$239.34
MYR983.91
|
$138.58
₱8,171.41
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,250.00
MYR25,693.75
|
$17,035.39
₱1,004,491.60
|
|
Penang vs. Manila - Cost of childcare
pay 8.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Penang
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.27
MYR17.54
|
$1.46
₱86.22
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.91
MYR11.97
|
$2.59
₱152.56
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.38
MYR18.02
|
$3.27
₱192.73
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.94
MYR135.41
|
$42.13
₱2,484.39
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.57
MYR22.89
|
$7.48
₱441.26
|
|
Penang vs. Manila - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.2% less for clothing
|
Penang
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.09
MYR226.49
|
$49.23
₱2,902.69
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$29.03
MYR119.34
|
$29.70
₱1,751.10
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$71.09
MYR292.25
|
$80.85
₱4,767.52
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$53.02
MYR217.97
|
$49.70
₱2,930.32
|
|
Penang vs. Manila - 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
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Malaysia vs. Philippines.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Malaysia and Philippines.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Manila or Penang. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.