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

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 26.2% more expensive than Tawau without rent, and 24.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 3.6% more expensive than Tawau without rent, and 26% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.57 MYR 18.00

$3.63 MYR 14.31

25.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.75 MYR 113

$19.06 MYR 75.1

50.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 MYR 18.17

$4.23 MYR 16.66

8.98%

Cappuccino

$3.11 MYR 12.26

$2.30 MYR 9.08

35.22%

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

$0.92 MYR 3.61

$0.78 MYR 3.08

17.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.07

$0.37 MYR 1.46

40.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.15 MYR 16.35

$2.32 MYR 9.13

78.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 MYR 22.78

$3.35 MYR 13.19

72.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MYR 7.84

$1.59 MYR 6.26

25.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 3.94

$1.35 MYR 5.32

-25.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 6.81

$1.68 MYR 6.63

2.98%

Eggs

$2.17 MYR 8.55

$2.15 MYR 8.48

0.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 MYR 58.5

$14.95 MYR 58.9

-0.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 17.98

$4.40 MYR 17.34

3.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 MYR 39.20

$9.66 MYR 38.07

3.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 11.61

$2.88 MYR 11.36

2.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.42

$1.52 MYR 6.01

7.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.22

$2.51 MYR 9.89

3.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.04

$1.39 MYR 5.47

10.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 4.87

$1.19 MYR 4.67

4.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.50

$1.28 MYR 5.03

9.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MYR 4.55

$1.04 MYR 4.11

10.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MYR 2.44

$0.52 MYR 2.05

19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 MYR 16.28

$4.25 MYR 16.76

-2.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.75 MYR 73.9

$18.73 MYR 73.8

0.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 MYR 12.84

$2.87 MYR 11.29

13.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.26

$3.00 MYR 11.80

46.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 2.93

$0.73 MYR 2.87

1.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.98 MYR 47.19

$11.76 MYR 46.35

1.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.70

$1.21 MYR 4.77

-1.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.36

$0.99 MYR 3.92

12.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 MYR 18.51

$6.02 MYR 23.72

-21.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.87

$0.50 MYR 1.98

-6.00%

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

$40.2K MYR 158.2K

$34.8K MYR 137.1K

15.40%

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

$32.1K MYR 126.4K

$31.4K MYR 123.7K

2.21%

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

$63.4 MYR 250

$44.25 MYR 174

43.21%

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

$11.31 MYR 44.55

$9.08 MYR 35.77

24.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.29 MYR 99.7

$28.91 MYR 114

-12.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.73 MYR 184

$37.15 MYR 146

25.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.78 MYR 30.66

$5.85 MYR 23.05

32.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 MYR 21.05

$2.86 MYR 11.27

86.71%

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

$264 MYR 1,038

$187 MYR 738

40.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,254 MYR 36.5K

$6,821 MYR 26.9K

35.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 235

$60.3 MYR 238

-0.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.87 MYR 145

$27.11 MYR 107

36.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 MYR 345

$72.6 MYR 286

20.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 MYR 319

$50.5 MYR 199

60.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 MYR 2,221

$386 MYR 1,522

45.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,449

$273 MYR 1,077

34.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 MYR 4,295

$632 MYR 2,492

72.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 MYR 2,519

$466 MYR 1,837

37.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,036 MYR 15.9K

$1,850 MYR 7,289

118.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 MYR 6,058

$981 MYR 3,866

56.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,597 MYR 6,293

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: March 1, 2026

Last update for Tawau: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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