Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Tawau Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Tawau

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 28.2% more expensive than Tawau without rent, and 28.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 5.7% more expensive than Tawau without rent, and 23.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 MYR 19.31

$3.6 MYR 15.19

27.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.83 MYR 122

$19.17 MYR 80.9

50.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 20.13

$4.02 MYR 16.96

18.66%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 12.48

$2.31 MYR 9.75

28.14%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 MYR 3.58

$0.74 MYR 3.11

14.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.5 MYR 2.11

$0.39 MYR 1.65

28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.82

$2.41 MYR 10.16

75.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 MYR 25.11

$3.36 MYR 14.17

77.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 MYR 8.78

$1.56 MYR 6.56

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1 MYR 4.22

$1.3 MYR 5.49

-23.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.92

$1.73 MYR 7.3

-5.20%

Eggs

$2.29 MYR 9.64

$2.05 MYR 8.63

11.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 MYR 62.6

$15.13 MYR 63.8

-1.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.52 MYR 19.05

$4.48 MYR 18.91

0.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.51 MYR 40.1

$9.58 MYR 40.4

-0.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 12.46

$2.86 MYR 12.06

3.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MYR 6.85

$1.48 MYR 6.22

9.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.7 MYR 11.37

$2.6 MYR 10.98

3.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.38

$1.44 MYR 6.05

4.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.11

$1.18 MYR 4.96

2.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.4 MYR 5.92

$1.33 MYR 5.6

5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 MYR 5.09

$1.04 MYR 4.4

16.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 MYR 2.87

$0.55 MYR 2.33

23.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MYR 17.68

$4.3 MYR 18.13

-2.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.11 MYR 76.4

$14.44 MYR 60.9

25.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.33 MYR 14.06

$2.88 MYR 12.13

15.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 18.5

$2.94 MYR 12.39

49.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 3.06

$0.68 MYR 2.85

5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.74 MYR 49.49

$11.97 MYR 50.5

-1.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 5.11

$1.16 MYR 4.9

4.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MYR 4.78

$0.98 MYR 4.15

15.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 MYR 19.35

$5.77 MYR 24.33

-20.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 2.01

$0.49 MYR 2.09

-2.04%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$40K MYR 168.8K

$35.7K MYR 150.5K

12.17%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33K MYR 139.2K

$31K MYR 130.6K

6.57%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$64.8 MYR 273

$43.49 MYR 183

48.98%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.7 MYR 49.34

$9.16 MYR 38.65

27.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.5 MYR 108

$28.84 MYR 122

-11.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 MYR 194

$37.56 MYR 158

22.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.76 MYR 32.73

$5.93 MYR 24.99

30.86%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MYR 22.03

$2.91 MYR 12.27

79.73%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$266 MYR 1,122

$191 MYR 804

39.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,267 MYR 39.1K

$7,045 MYR 29.7K

31.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 MYR 259

$59.8 MYR 252

2.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.04 MYR 160

$27.2 MYR 115

39.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 MYR 364

$72.8 MYR 307

18.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 MYR 336

$50.5 MYR 213

57.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MYR 2,437

$387 MYR 1,633

49.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 MYR 1,566

$266 MYR 1,123

39.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 MYR 4,472

$646 MYR 2,724

64.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 MYR 2,649

$478 MYR 2,015

31.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,071 MYR 12.9K

$1,845 MYR 7,781

66.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,532 MYR 6,459

$1,106 MYR 4,664

38.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,342 MYR 5,659

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

4.07

9.83%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 28, 2025

Last update for Tawau: October 26, 2025

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