what sector are you applying?

penang is around 10-20% less expensive in living than KL.

so if you get 2.5k in penang, you can get 3k in KL.

we need your job scope and industry to know if you worth 5k, but as far as I know only oil and gas can get 5k for entry level (degree) but if you are PHD, then it is a different story.

1. Average first job would go from RM2500 - RM3500 depending on your industry
2. In banking and finance not that easy I reckon. 5k probably is AM level in that industry
3. Depending on your commitments. Any repayment loans like PTPTN? Car? Petrol? Insurance?

1. Understand you're from banking / financial, so expect somewhere 2.4k - 3k for entry level. I heard there's some management trainee program which offer up to 5k, but it's too competitive.
2. Without experience & entry level position, 5k is an amount almost no employer willing to pay.
3. Live within your means and you'll survive literally under any circumstances, I'll provide a breakdown of living expenses in KL after this.
4. Try filtering your criteria on job portals, I believe there's a rare few programs which willing to pay up to 4k.

Monthly living expenses breakdown in KL.
1. Accommodation - RM700 - RM1,000 for a fully furnished room with close proximity to metro system & not too far from CBD (Close to metro is important as from your earlier post you'll be relying on public transportation)
2. Transportation - RM100 for MY100 pass (unlimited ride on rapidKL buses, MRT, LRT & monorail)
3. Food - RM600, assuming RM20 a day average
4. Utilities - RM150 (RM50 for electric on sharing basis, RM20 for water bill on sharing basis, RM80 for broadband)
5. Miscellaneous - RM400 - Socializing, outing, celebrations, attending events, etc
Total : ~RM2K

Assuming your pay is RM3K, after deductibles it'll be about RM2,649. Deducting above expenses, you'll be left with about RM700 a month.

Since you're contemplating whether to remain in Penang, what you can do is try factoring in all the necessity and expense and see how much you'll end up a month.

Also, list down all your priorities and give each a weightage and see which city will give you a higher weightage score. From your earlier description, two main priorities are staying close to your family and looking for better job opportunity with better pay in KL.

With all being done, maybe you'll be able to draw a clearer picture & direction to decide on your next step in life.

If you are a fresh graduate and this is your first job, I think the max you can get is around 3.5k in banking sector. You can always ask for more, no harm trying.

Bear in mind the average salary in banks are lower in general, but their benefits and bonuses are usually good.

Why not try find a job in your hometown? Would it be better? You get to save many things.

I've heard from my friend who is working as HR they will filter out those with good resumes first (they will look at cgpa and school for fresh graduate hires), then look at salary demand.

But of course every HR works in a different way. It will be better if you can find out how much is the average pay for a fresh graduate in the bank that you are applying to, and work from there.

Glassdoor is a nice place to start!

I suppose there are alot of factors that we are not in shoes to comment. He probably have alot commitments so let's not get there