Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Kuala Lumpur 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Kuala Lumpur are 10.1% higher than in Penang (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Kuala Lumpur are 16.0% higher than in Penang
Rent Prices in Kuala Lumpur are 40.1% higher than in Penang
Restaurant Prices in Kuala Lumpur are 27.4% higher than in Penang
Groceries Prices in Kuala Lumpur are 6.0% higher than in Penang
Local Purchasing Power in Kuala Lumpur is 18.3% higher than in Penang
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 10.00 RM 15.00 RM      +50.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 60.00 RM 100.00 RM      +66.7 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 18.00 RM 18.00 RM      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 16.50 RM 17.00 RM      +3.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 18.00 RM 20.00 RM      +11.1 %
Cappuccino (regular) 13.43 RM 12.58 RM      -6.3 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.56 RM 2.86 RM      +11.5 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.10 RM 1.80 RM      -14.3 %
Markets
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 27.80 RM 28.63 RM      +3.0 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.85 RM 3.25 RM      -15.7 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.46 RM 2.84 RM      +15.5 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 7.73 RM 7.92 RM      +2.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 23.70 RM 20.33 RM      -14.2 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 10.65 RM 8.05 RM      -24.5 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 16.90 RM 20.44 RM      +20.9 %
Apples (1 lb) 4.55 RM 5.42 RM      +19.0 %
Banana (1 lb) 2.77 RM 2.90 RM      +4.5 %
Oranges (1 lb) 4.88 RM 5.53 RM      +13.4 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.19 RM 2.83 RM      +29.2 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.36 RM 1.99 RM      +46.8 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.74 RM 1.83 RM      +5.4 %
Lettuce (1 head) 4.60 RM 4.03 RM      -12.4 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.65 RM 2.81 RM      +70.2 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 70.00 RM 70.00 RM      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 10.40 RM 11.29 RM      +8.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 13.94 RM 16.34 RM      +17.2 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 18.50 RM 18.00 RM      -2.7 %
Transportation
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.00 RM 3.00 RM      +50.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 80.00 RM 50.00 RM      -37.5 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 5.50 RM 5.00 RM      -9.1 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.90 RM 8.05 RM      +177.8 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 RM 15.00 RM      -50.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 7.84 RM 7.93 RM      +1.1 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 170,000.00 RM 160,000.00 RM      -5.9 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 128,981.33 RM 130,055.89 RM      +0.8 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 219.90 RM 233.93 RM      +6.4 %
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) 0.25 RM 0.44 RM      +77.0 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 123.58 RM 116.48 RM      -5.7 %
Sports And Leisure
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 123.75 RM 191.10 RM      +54.4 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 16.67 RM 36.15 RM      +116.9 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 15.50 RM 20.00 RM      +29.0 %
Childcare
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 762.50 RM 1,100.00 RM      +44.3 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 27,800.00 RM 36,899.05 RM      +32.7 %
Clothing And Shoes
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 300.00 RM 208.52 RM      -30.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 135.00 RM 126.58 RM      -6.2 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 316.67 RM 302.44 RM      -4.5 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 325.00 RM 311.20 RM      -4.2 %
Rent Per Month
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,510.74 RM 2,093.75 RM      +38.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,227.78 RM 1,265.00 RM      +3.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,554.55 RM 4,412.50 RM      +72.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,100.00 RM 2,385.29 RM      +13.6 %
Buy Apartment Price
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 787.57 RM 941.00 RM      +19.5 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 553.75 RM 497.94 RM      -10.1 %
Salaries And Financing
Penang Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,077.78 RM 5,597.70 RM      +37.3 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 3.51 3.64      +3.6 %
Last update: March 2023March 2023
Contributors in the past 12 months:43337