Penang island or mainland: the same budget, four times the floor area
Two projects on this list are priced within about RM17,000 of each other. On the island, Keeperz Suites in Gelugor starts at RM820,100 for 484 to 581 sq ft. On the mainland, Embun Hills in Bukit Mertajam starts at RM803,000 for a landed home of 2,230 to 2,518 sq ft. That is the whole decision, in two lines.
The two halves, counted
Tenure will not decide this for you. Eighty-five of the eighty-nine projects across both sides are freehold, which is the Penang norm and the opposite of what a Klang Valley buyer is used to.
| Island | Mainland | |
|---|---|---|
| Projects tracked | 35 | 54 |
| Landed | 4 | 25 |
| High-rise | 31 | 29 |
| Freehold | 34 of 35 | 51 of 54 |
| Built-ups | 338 – 5,360 sq ft | 420 – 10,134 sq ft |
| Published starting prices | RM300,000 – RM4,068,000 | RM225,000 – RM2,200,000 |
| Already completed | 12 | 16 |
On the island you buy a flat
Thirty-one of the thirty-five island projects are high-rise. There are four landed schemes: Casa Rica in Bayan Lepas at 2,874 to 2,916 sq ft, Ferringhi Hills at Batu Ferringhi, 14 superlink houses, UL Residence in Air Itam, 93 villas, and Vilaris Courtyard Homes at Batu Uban, 56 three-storey houses. If you want a house on Penang island, that is the list.
The smallest unit tracked anywhere in the state is 338 sq ft at Scott @ Logan in George Town, and the largest island unit is 5,360 sq ft at The Anton in Pulau Tikus. Eight of the island projects are filed under George Town, seven under Gelugor, seven under Bayan Lepas, five under Tanjung Bungah, three each in Air Itam and Teluk Kumbar, and two in Tanjung Tokong.
On the mainland you can buy a house
Twenty-five of the fifty-four mainland projects are landed, and the ceiling is higher: built-ups reach 10,134 sq ft at HI World City in Batu Kawan and 8,737 sq ft in a detached bungalow at Taman Lembah Permai in Bukit Mertajam. Sixteen of the fifty-four are in Batu Kawan, sixteen in Bukit Mertajam, twelve under Butterworth, five in Nibong Tebal, three in Perai and two in Simpang Ampat.
The mainland's published prices also stop lower. The dearest starting price on the mainland is RM2,200,000 at HI World City, and only six mainland projects start above RM1,000,000; on the island eight do, and The Anton in Pulau Tikus starts at RM4,068,000.
Where a budget actually lands
At around RM300,000 to RM440,000 the two sides overlap and the island is competitive: D'Hazelton in Air Itam starts at RM300,000 for 900 to 1,000 sq ft, against Iconic Harmony in Bukit Mertajam at RM322,200 for 900 sq ft. At that level you are choosing a location, not a product.
From about RM550,000 upwards they separate. On the island the money buys height and address — The Lighthauz in Gelugor from RM865,000 for 732 to 1,001 sq ft, Lumina Residence in George Town from RM1,030,000 for 1,206 to 1,518. On the mainland it buys ground: Frieden in Bukit Mertajam from RM794,700 at 1,800 sq ft, Embun Hills from RM803,000 at 2,230 to 2,518.
The compact-but-central end of the island is where the gap is widest. Keeperz Suites starts at RM820,100 for 484 to 581 sq ft. That is the same budget as a landed home across the channel, four to five times the floor area.
What the bridge actually costs you
The trade is not island versus mainland in the abstract. It is a crossing, twice a day, for as long as you work where you work. The mainland listings that sell to island workers quote the Second Penang Bridge and the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone across the water for exactly that reason.
Before the space wins, drive the commute you would actually be making, at the hour you would be making it, in both directions. A bridge at 7am and a bridge at 11am are not the same road, and no floor plan will tell you the difference.
Twenty-eight of them are already built
Twelve island projects and sixteen mainland ones are complete. That is unusually high for this site and it is the cheapest research available: a finished building tells you what the management charge settled at, how the common areas wear and how full the car park gets, none of which a show unit can.
If you are torn between the two sides, go and stand in one finished development on each. An afternoon does more than a month of comparing brochures.
Which side, for whom
- You work on the island, want a house, and can drive: the mainland. Twenty-five landed schemes against four.
- You want to walk to things in George Town or Gelugor and will accept a compact unit: the island.
- Your budget is under about RM450,000: both sides have stock, so choose on location and commute rather than on price.
- Your budget is around RM800,000: this is where the two sides are furthest apart. Decide whether you are buying floor area or an address, because you will not get both.
- You want something finished this year: twenty-eight projects across the two sides are already complete.
Frequently asked
Is it cheaper to buy on the Penang mainland?
Not at entry level — the cheapest published starts are close, RM300,000 on the island against RM225,000 on the mainland. The difference is what the money buys higher up: around RM800,000 gets 484 to 581 sq ft at Keeperz Suites on the island, or a 2,230 to 2,518 sq ft landed home at Embun Hills on the mainland.
Is there landed property on Penang island?
Four on this list: Casa Rica in Bayan Lepas, at 2,874 to 2,916 sq ft, Ferringhi Hills at Batu Ferringhi, UL Residence in Air Itam and Vilaris Courtyard Homes at Batu Uban. The mainland has twenty-five landed schemes among its fifty-four projects.
How many new projects are there in Penang?
Eighty-nine across both sides — 35 on the island and 54 on the mainland. Batu Kawan and Bukit Mertajam account for sixteen each.
Is Penang property freehold?
Almost entirely. Eighty-five of the eighty-nine tracked here are freehold, on both sides of the channel.
What is the smallest new unit in Penang?
338 sq ft at Scott @ Logan in George Town. The largest is 10,134 sq ft at HI World City in Batu Kawan — a thirty-fold spread across one state.
Which Penang projects are already completed?
Twenty-eight: twelve on the island and sixteen on the mainland. Visiting one on each side is the most useful afternoon a Penang buyer can spend.