Go, but pay attention.
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Penang at 71/100 for crime — that makes it read about the same as than Malaysia's national picture overall (71/100 vs 71/100).
City page · part of Malaysia
The one number a country page can't give you
What people who actually live in Penang report
Numbeo aggregates thousands of resident-submitted perception surveys into a per-city Crime Index (higher = worse) and its inverse, a Safety Index — the only real city-granularity crime signal feeding this page, alongside Malaysia's national advisory, political, health, and police-trust data.
Crime Index
28.9
Safety Index
71.1
Sub-scores
Same real inputs as Malaysia's national page, with crime swapped for Penang's own Numbeo number above.
Local know-how
Staying safe in Penang, specifically
- • Penang is relatively a very safe place for travellers.
- • Don't walk alone in dark and deserted places.
- • Emergency numbers:
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
C / G / M · 230V
Driving side
left
Emergency
police: 999 / ambulance: 999 / fire: 999
Tipping
Tipping is not customary in Malaysia. A service charge of 10% is included in total bill in most air conditioned restaurants, but otherwise, you are not expected to pay anything more than what is stated in the bill. Most expensive restaurants, bars and hotels may indicate prices in the form of RM19++ ("plus plus"), meaning that sales tax (6%) and service charge (10%) will be added to the bill. Hote
Cash vs. Card
They can be used in most shops, restaurants and hotels, although skimming can be a problem in dodgier outlets. For credit card usage, make sure your credit/debit card is chip based as most merchants no longer accept magnetic strips based cards.
How this compares to Malaysia
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Penang at 71/100 for crime — that makes it read about the same as than Malaysia's national picture overall (71/100 vs 71/100).
See the full Malaysia page and all receipts →