For April, we changed bases from Ipoh to Penang Island.

If you’re new here, our first budget post explains our approach and what’s included in these numbers.

Currency note: All amounts below are shown in Canadian dollars (CAD) and reflect conversions at the rate used by our card providers at the time of purchase.

Where we were

• 27 days in Penang, Malaysia
• 3 days in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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At a glance

• Total spent: CAD 2,576.33
• Monthly budget: CAD 4,000.00
  • Under budget by: CAD 1423.67

All expenses below are for two people.

This was a big surprise for us: we really did not expect to have this month total to be so low in a touristy destination like Penang!

Running trip total (November 2025–April 2026)

• Total spent: CAD 16,266.21
• Total budget : CAD 24,000.00

After six months on the road, we are still 32% under budget, with CAD 7,733.79 remaining.

Expense breakdown for April

Accommodation — CAD 1,428.38 (55%)

• Average per night: CAD 47.61
  • 27 nights in Penang — CAD 1258.20
    • CAD 46.60 / night
  • 3 nights in Kuala Lumpur— CAD 170.18
    • CAD 56.73 / night

Our apartment in Penang was more expensive than the one we had in Ipoh, which reflected the fact that Penang is a more touristy destination.

Even so, accommodation remained a relatively small part of what we would normally expect to pay for a month in a popular destination.

Food

• Eating out — CAD 115.53 (4.48%)

• Groceries — CAD 708.00 (27%)

In April we mostly cooked at home, which is reflected in the cost. Overall food cost was close to Ipoh.

Transportation — CAD 182.00 (7%)

Includes buses, ferries, and Grab/taxi rides.

Health & Care — CAD 35.69 (1.39%)

Includes 2 haircuts and travel insurancce for this month.

Sightseeing & activities — CAD 105.51 (4.1%)

Includes museum entries and one way funiculer to Penang Hill.

Coffee — CAD 1.22 (0.05%)

Definitely I was not in love with local coffee in Malaysia!

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What kept April so inexpensive?

Looking at the numbers, there wasn’t one single reason for our low spending. It was mostly the way we travelled.

April was our slow-down month. We stayed in one place for almost the entire month, cooked most of our meals at home, used public transportation when practical, and didn’t spend much on paid attractions although we saw quite a lot of George Town and Penang Island. We also did not do any overnight trips this month which helped to keep the cost lower.

Even though our Penang apartment cost more than our apartment in Ipoh, the other categories stayed under control. After six months, our original CAD 4,000 monthly budget is still looking quite generous for the way we travel. We know there may be more expensive months ahead, but having this much room in the budget gives us some flexibility when they come.

I suspect we will not be able to keep the budget so low for our last month of travel in Kuala Lumpur, but we will see!