Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Tawau Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Tawau

😐 Solo nomad: Kuching is 8.1% more expensive than Tawau without rent, and 6.5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Kuching is 11.4% cheaper than Tawau without rent, and 3.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.89 MYR 11.42

$3.63 MYR 14.35

-20.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.78 MYR 78.2

$19.06 MYR 75.3

3.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 MYR 18.81

$4.23 MYR 16.70

12.53%

Cappuccino

$2.45 MYR 9.69

$2.30 MYR 9.10

6.52%

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

$0.70 MYR 2.77

$0.78 MYR 3.08

-10.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.17

$0.37 MYR 1.46

-18.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.90 MYR 11.44

$2.32 MYR 9.15

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 MYR 14.21

$3.35 MYR 13.22

7.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 MYR 7.40

$1.59 MYR 6.28

17.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.43

$1.35 MYR 5.33

-17.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 MYR 4.05

$1.68 MYR 6.65

-39.29%

Eggs

$2.19 MYR 8.65

$2.15 MYR 8.50

1.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.74 MYR 38.47

$14.95 MYR 59.1

-34.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 MYR 15.23

$4.40 MYR 17.38

-12.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.02 MYR 31.69

$9.66 MYR 38.17

-16.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 MYR 11.80

$2.88 MYR 11.39

3.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 MYR 4.36

$1.52 MYR 6.02

-27.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 MYR 10.00

$2.51 MYR 9.92

0.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.18

$1.39 MYR 5.48

30.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.42

$1.19 MYR 4.68

-5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 4.92

$1.28 MYR 5.05

-3.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 MYR 6.62

$1.04 MYR 4.12

61.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MYR 1.93

$0.52 MYR 2.06

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MYR 16.56

$4.25 MYR 16.80

-1.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.67 MYR 85.6

$18.73 MYR 74.0

15.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.88 MYR 15.34

$2.87 MYR 11.32

35.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 MYR 13.77

$3.00 MYR 11.83

16.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 MYR 0.99

$0.73 MYR 2.88

-65.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.85 MYR 46.82

$11.76 MYR 46.46

0.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 MYR 3.67

$1.21 MYR 4.78

-23.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MYR 4.34

$0.99 MYR 3.93

11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 MYR 7.69

$6.02 MYR 23.78

-67.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.95

$0.50 MYR 1.99

-2.00%

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

$45.7K MYR 180.7K

$34.8K MYR 137.5K

31.44%

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

$37.0K MYR 146.0K

$31.4K MYR 124.0K

17.75%

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

$41.74 MYR 165

$44.25 MYR 175

-5.67%

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

$8.98 MYR 35.46

$9.08 MYR 35.86

-1.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.04 MYR 98.9

$28.91 MYR 114

-13.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.52 MYR 117

$37.15 MYR 147

-20.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.91 MYR 39.14

$5.85 MYR 23.10

69.40%

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 MYR 18.17

$2.86 MYR 11.30

60.84%

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

$140 MYR 555

$187 MYR 740

-25.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,993 MYR 23.7K

$6,821 MYR 26.9K

-12.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 MYR 264

$60.3 MYR 238

10.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.50 MYR 124

$27.11 MYR 107

16.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 MYR 333

$72.6 MYR 287

16.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.2 MYR 281

$50.5 MYR 199

41.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 MYR 1,117

$386 MYR 1,526

-26.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 MYR 819

$273 MYR 1,080

-24.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 MYR 2,207

$632 MYR 2,498

-11.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 MYR 1,542

$466 MYR 1,841

-16.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,168 MYR 8,565

$1,850 MYR 7,308

17.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,569 MYR 6,196

$981 MYR 3,876

59.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$546 MYR 2,159

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.27

4.07

4.91%

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

Last update for Kuching: March 2, 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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