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Mumbai vs Penang cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ฎ๐ณ Mumbai
๐ฒ๐พ Penang
At a glance
- Where Penang is clearly cheaper: Hotel night (26%โ), Studio rent (month) (16%โ)
- Where Mumbai is clearly cheaper: Street food (68%โ), Bottled water (66%โ), Convenience store (62%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Penang is easier to travel (2.0 vs 2.4). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Mumbai 3 vs Penang 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Mumbai | Penang | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โน 250$2.98 | RM 12$2.79 | Penang โ6% |
| Street food1 item | โน 50$0.6 | RM 8$1.86 | Mumbai โ68% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โน 1,000$11.9 | RM 45$10.5 | Penang โ12% |
| Coffeeone cup | โน 230$2.74 | RM 12$2.79 | similar |
| Beerone bottle | โน 300$3.57 | RM 17$3.95 | Mumbai โ10% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โน 800$9.52 | RM 35$8.14 | Penang โ15% |
| Bottled water | โน 10$0.12 | RM 1.5$0.35 | Mumbai โ66% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โน 22$0.27 | RM 3$0.7 | Mumbai โ62% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โน 170$2.02 | RM 12$2.79 | Mumbai โ27% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โน 55$0.65 | RM 7$1.63 | Mumbai โ60% |
| Transitone ride | โน 20$0.24 | RM 2$0.47 | Mumbai โ49% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โน 700$8.33 | RM 40$9.3 | Mumbai โ10% |
| Hotel night3-star | โน 4,500$53.6 | RM 170$39.5 | Penang โ26% |
| Studio rent (month) | โน 35,000$417 | RM 1,500$349 | Penang โ16% |
| Laundry | โน 100$1.19 | RM 6$1.4 | Mumbai โ15% |
| SIM card1 week data | โน 350$4.17 | RM 25$5.81 | Mumbai โ28% |
| Haircutcut | โน 200$2.38 | RM 18$4.19 | Mumbai โ43% |
| Massage1 hour | โน 1,500$17.9 | RM 70$16.3 | Penang โ9% |
| Half-day tourper person | โน 1,500$17.9 | RM 120$27.9 | Mumbai โ36% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โน 600$7.14 | RM 30$6.98 | similar |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Mumbai or Penang?
Penang is 13% cheaper than Mumbai. Daily budget $86.9 vs $72.2; a month $1,465 vs $1,320.
Which is easier to travel, Mumbai or Penang?
Penang is easier: Penang 2.0/5 vs Mumbai 2.4/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Mumbai and Penang?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Mumbai is about $1,465 and Penang about $1,320 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.