Side by side

San José vs George Town (Penang)

George Town (Penang) wins on more metrics — 3–4 on the 8 core metrics we track. Detail below.

Metric

San José

George Town (Penang)

Cost of living

B vs A: -31%

45✓

Rent · 1BR center

B vs A: -33%

$900

$600✓

Effective tax (remote)

B vs A: ≈ same

20%

Healthcare

B vs A: -7%

75✓

Safety

B vs A: +17%

70✓

Internet

B vs A: +63%

130✓

Climate

B vs A: -10%

80✓

Freedom

B vs A: -13%

80✓

Stable, peaceful, biodiverse. Rentista and Pensionado visas plus the new digital nomad permit (Ley 9996).

UNESCO heritage food capital of Asia. Slower-paced than KL with a strong expat retiree community.