Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Kuala Lumpur 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Kuala Lumpur is 5.7% higher than in Penang (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Kuala Lumpur is 12.7% higher than in Penang
Rent Prices in Kuala Lumpur are 46.9% higher than in Penang
Restaurant Prices in Kuala Lumpur are 18.8% higher than in Penang
Groceries Prices in Kuala Lumpur are 8.1% lower than in Penang
Local Purchasing Power in Kuala Lumpur is 8.5% higher than in Penang
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 12.50 RM 18.00 RM      +44.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 100.00 RM 120.00 RM      +20.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 18.00 RM 20.00 RM      +11.1 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 18.00 RM 19.00 RM      +5.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 18.00 RM 25.00 RM      +38.9 %
Cappuccino (regular) 12.62 RM 12.87 RM      +2.0 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.95 RM 3.79 RM      +28.2 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 1.50 RM 2.30 RM      +53.6 %
Markets
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 29.69 RM 32.49 RM      +9.4 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.89 RM 3.91 RM      +0.5 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 3.85 RM 3.15 RM      -18.1 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 8.88 RM 9.42 RM      +6.1 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 33.34 RM 28.10 RM      -15.7 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 10.05 RM 8.85 RM      -12.0 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 28.46 RM 17.81 RM      -37.4 %
Apples (1 lb) 5.48 RM 5.66 RM      +3.3 %
Banana (1 lb) 2.86 RM 3.06 RM      +7.1 %
Oranges (1 lb) 5.10 RM 5.12 RM      +0.3 %
Tomato (1 lb) 4.12 RM 2.79 RM      -32.2 %
Potato (1 lb) 2.24 RM 2.24 RM      +0.2 %
Onion (1 lb) 2.29 RM 2.57 RM      +12.4 %
Lettuce (1 head) 3.94 RM 5.06 RM      +28.5 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.00 RM 2.74 RM      +36.9 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 60.00 RM 75.00 RM      +25.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 11.32 RM 14.04 RM      +24.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 14.62 RM 18.41 RM      +25.9 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 18.00 RM 18.00 RM      0.0 %
Transportation
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.00 RM 3.00 RM      +50.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 75.00 RM 50.00 RM      -33.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.00 RM 5.00 RM      +66.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 3.70 RM 8.05 RM      +117.4 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 RM 20.00 RM      -33.3 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 7.76 RM 7.94 RM      +2.3 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 142,500.00 RM 170,000.00 RM      +19.3 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 116,533.33 RM 137,407.69 RM      +17.9 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 164.05 RM 270.21 RM      +64.7 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 43.00 RM 58.33 RM      +35.7 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 132.64 RM 110.34 RM      -16.8 %
Sports And Leisure
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 139.00 RM 198.25 RM      +42.6 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 23.33 RM 32.69 RM      +40.1 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 21.00 RM 22.00 RM      +4.8 %
Childcare
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,010.00 RM 1,156.52 RM      +14.5 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 26,300.00 RM 39,583.33 RM      +50.5 %
Clothing And Shoes
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 232.50 RM 255.62 RM      +9.9 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 122.50 RM 158.76 RM      +29.6 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 260.00 RM 364.45 RM      +40.2 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 223.75 RM 341.82 RM      +52.8 %
Rent Per Month
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,641.67 RM 2,333.58 RM      +42.1 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 958.33 RM 1,496.00 RM      +56.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,728.57 RM 4,521.88 RM      +65.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,214.29 RM 2,668.57 RM      +20.5 %
Buy Apartment Price
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,032.40 RM 1,174.57 RM      +13.8 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 735.13 RM 578.52 RM      -21.3 %
Salaries And Financing
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,588.75 RM 5,612.45 RM      +22.3 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 4.16 4.46      +7.4 %
Last update: April 2025May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:36258