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

😐 Solo nomad: Kuching is 8.5% more expensive than Tawau without rent, and 4.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Kuching is 13.2% cheaper than Tawau without rent, and 5.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.8 MYR 11.82

$3.6 MYR 15.19

-22.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.06 MYR 84.6

$19.17 MYR 80.9

4.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 MYR 19.76

$4.02 MYR 16.96

16.67%

Cappuccino

$2.57 MYR 10.83

$2.31 MYR 9.75

11.26%

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

$0.71 MYR 3

$0.74 MYR 3.11

-4.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 MYR 1.37

$0.39 MYR 1.65

-17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 MYR 11.68

$2.41 MYR 10.16

14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 MYR 15.08

$3.36 MYR 14.17

6.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 MYR 8.24

$1.56 MYR 6.56

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 MYR 4.77

$1.3 MYR 5.49

-13.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 MYR 4.27

$1.73 MYR 7.3

-41.62%

Eggs

$2.13 MYR 9

$2.05 MYR 8.63

3.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.36 MYR 39.48

$15.13 MYR 63.8

-38.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 MYR 16.23

$4.48 MYR 18.91

-14.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.88 MYR 33.24

$9.58 MYR 40.4

-17.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MYR 12.72

$2.86 MYR 12.06

5.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.1 MYR 4.64

$1.48 MYR 6.22

-25.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MYR 11.06

$2.6 MYR 10.98

0.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 MYR 7.75

$1.44 MYR 6.05

27.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 MYR 4.85

$1.18 MYR 4.96

-2.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 5.16

$1.33 MYR 5.6

-8.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 MYR 7.07

$1.04 MYR 4.4

61.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.2

$0.55 MYR 2.33

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 MYR 17.47

$4.3 MYR 18.13

-3.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.41 MYR 81.8

$14.44 MYR 60.9

34.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.72 MYR 15.7

$2.88 MYR 12.13

29.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 MYR 14.26

$2.94 MYR 12.39

14.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 MYR 1.06

$0.68 MYR 2.85

-63.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.57 MYR 48.8

$11.97 MYR 50.5

-3.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.91 MYR 3.83

$1.16 MYR 4.9

-21.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 MYR 4.83

$0.98 MYR 4.15

16.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 MYR 8.17

$5.77 MYR 24.33

-66.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.5 MYR 2.11

$0.49 MYR 2.09

2.04%

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

$44.9K MYR 189.4K

$35.7K MYR 150.5K

25.80%

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

$36.1K MYR 152.3K

$31K MYR 130.6K

16.61%

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

$42.14 MYR 178

$43.49 MYR 183

-3.10%

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

$8.94 MYR 37.71

$9.16 MYR 38.65

-2.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.81 MYR 105

$28.84 MYR 122

-13.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.84 MYR 126

$37.56 MYR 158

-20.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.89 MYR 41.73

$5.93 MYR 24.99

66.78%

Cinema Ticket

$4.62 MYR 19.47

$2.91 MYR 12.27

58.76%

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

$144 MYR 606

$191 MYR 804

-24.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,013 MYR 25.4K

$7,045 MYR 29.7K

-14.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66 MYR 278

$59.8 MYR 252

10.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.77 MYR 134

$27.2 MYR 115

16.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 MYR 361

$72.8 MYR 307

17.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 MYR 304

$50.5 MYR 213

43.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 MYR 1,171

$387 MYR 1,633

-28.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 MYR 877

$266 MYR 1,123

-21.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$571 MYR 2,409

$646 MYR 2,724

-11.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 MYR 1,645

$478 MYR 2,015

-18.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,881 MYR 7,934

$1,845 MYR 7,781

1.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,330 MYR 5,607

$1,106 MYR 4,664

20.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$565 MYR 2,384

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: October 29, 2025

Last update for Tawau: October 26, 2025

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