Cost of Living in Penang

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Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 2.94 $ 2.26-6.78
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 22.61 $ 15.83-33.92
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 4.07 $ 4.05-4.52
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 4.07 $ 3.39-5.65
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 4.07 $ 3.39-4.97
Cappuccino (regular) 2.84 $ 1.61-3.39
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 0.65 $ 0.45-1.36
Water (12 oz small bottle) 0.34 $ 0.27-0.45
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 6.73 $ 5.14-8.56
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 0.88 $ 0.62-1.05
Rice (white), (1 lb) 0.87 $ 0.72-1.07
Eggs (regular) (12) 1.94 $ 1.11-2.60
Local Cheese (1 lb) 7.54 $ 4.00-10.26
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 2.27 $ 1.23-3.08
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 6.44 $ 3.08-10.26
Apples (1 lb) 1.24 $ 0.72-1.64
Banana (1 lb) 0.65 $ 0.41-0.77
Oranges (1 lb) 1.15 $ 0.72-1.44
Tomato (1 lb) 0.93 $ 0.41-1.64
Potato (1 lb) 0.51 $ 0.31-0.91
Onion (1 lb) 0.52 $ 0.31-1.13
Lettuce (1 head) 0.89 $ 0.34-1.45
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 0.45 $ 0.45-0.45
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 13.57 $ 4.07-20.35
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.56 $ 2.40-2.94
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.31 $ 2.26-4.52
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 4.07 $ 3.93-4.30
Transportation
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One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 0.45 $ 0.45-0.68
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 16.96 $ 11.31-49.16
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 0.68 $ 0.68-2.26
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 0.84 $ 0.36-2.18
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 6.78 $ 6.78-6.78
Gasoline (1 gallon) 1.76 $ 1.75-1.80
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 32,221.59 $ 27,133.97-37,309.21
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 26,350.10 $ 26,003.39-32,786.89
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 37.09 $ 22.61-56.53
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 9.72 $ 5.65-13.57
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 29.99 $ 22.39-38.44
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 31.43 $ 15.83-54.27
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 5.28 $ 3.39-5.65
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 4.75 $ 3.39-7.91
Childcare
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Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 228.38 $ 146.98-316.56
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 5,946.86 $ 3,391.75-24,992.99
Clothing And Shoes
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1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 65.01 $ 22.61-90.45
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 27.70 $ 20.35-45.22
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 58.79 $ 38.44-113.06
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 50.59 $ 33.92-67.83
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 371.21 $ 192.20-678.35
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 216.69 $ 113.06-339.17
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 616.97 $ 339.17-1,017.52
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 500.69 $ 271.34-791.41
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 233.44 $ 179.53-271.34
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 166.23 $ 115.01-226.11
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 1,037.59 $
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 4.16 3.00-5.25

Prices in Penang

This city had 181 entries in the past 12 months by 34 different contributors.
Last update: March 2025
Sources and References
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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4 Comments so far
Paul on Feb 14, 2025:
Thomas M. I think your acquaintance is taking you for a ride. Four years after your message, a lunch with two plates of noodles, prawns/mussels/chicken and 2 lime juice came to RM 25 (just over five dollars). 15 eggs (average size) came to RM 11.35 (less than $0.20 each!). A loaf of Western type bread is variable between a dollar or so and $6 for artisanal quality where you get soft jazz piped in while you shop...
CP on Sep 01, 2024:
Why doesn't this budget take into account health expenses?
Thomas Maresco on Oct 17, 2020:
I am asking for help ....I have someone in penang Malaysia , who insists they need 300 USD a week for food and even then they tell me they eat very modestly such as nasi gorang and maybe egg and spaghetti , was also told 12 eggs cost 18 USD and a loaf of bread is 6 USD ... I think I am being taken advantage of . could someone please email me cheftom12@gmail.com and let me know ...thank you very much
jeffrey william emack on Sep 03, 2020:
is there a list i can see that shows number 1 ranked to last placed