Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Tawau Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Tawau

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 19.7% more expensive than Tawau without rent, and 1.8% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Penang is 4.5% cheaper than Tawau without rent, and 9.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 MYR 12.13

$3.63 MYR 14.35

-15.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.19 MYR 83.7

$19.06 MYR 75.3

11.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.20 MYR 16.58

$4.23 MYR 16.70

-0.71%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 11.71

$2.30 MYR 9.10

28.70%

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

$0.74 MYR 2.93

$0.78 MYR 3.08

-5.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.45

$0.37 MYR 1.46

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 MYR 17.73

$2.32 MYR 9.15

93.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MYR 17.40

$3.35 MYR 13.22

31.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 MYR 7.52

$1.59 MYR 6.28

19.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 3.92

$1.35 MYR 5.33

-26.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MYR 8.11

$1.68 MYR 6.65

22.02%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.48

$2.15 MYR 8.50

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.37 MYR 68.6

$14.95 MYR 59.1

16.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 MYR 19.74

$4.40 MYR 17.38

13.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 MYR 58.8

$9.66 MYR 38.17

54.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MYR 10.96

$2.88 MYR 11.39

-3.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.80

$1.52 MYR 6.02

-3.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.21

$2.51 MYR 9.92

2.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MYR 8.66

$1.39 MYR 5.48

57.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.50

$1.19 MYR 4.68

-4.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.75

$1.28 MYR 5.05

-6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 MYR 3.53

$1.04 MYR 4.12

-14.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MYR 1.93

$0.52 MYR 2.06

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 MYR 17.18

$4.25 MYR 16.80

2.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.52 MYR 77.1

$18.73 MYR 74.0

4.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.34

$2.87 MYR 11.32

-8.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 MYR 13.75

$3.00 MYR 11.83

16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.80

$0.73 MYR 2.88

-36.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.36 MYR 68.6

$11.76 MYR 46.46

47.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$1.21 MYR 4.78

-43.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 1.98

$0.99 MYR 3.93

-49.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 MYR 28.39

$6.02 MYR 23.78

19.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.96

$0.50 MYR 1.99

-2.00%

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

$34.0K MYR 134.2K

$34.8K MYR 137.5K

-2.37%

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

$27.9K MYR 110.1K

$31.4K MYR 124.0K

-11.20%

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

$39.37 MYR 156

$44.25 MYR 175

-11.03%

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

$10.01 MYR 39.54

$9.08 MYR 35.86

10.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 MYR 124

$28.91 MYR 114

8.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.02 MYR 130

$37.15 MYR 147

-11.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.53 MYR 21.84

$5.85 MYR 23.10

-5.47%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 19.01

$2.86 MYR 11.30

68.18%

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

$237 MYR 937

$187 MYR 740

26.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,252 MYR 24.7K

$6,821 MYR 26.9K

-8.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 214

$60.3 MYR 238

-9.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.00 MYR 115

$27.11 MYR 107

6.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 MYR 247

$72.6 MYR 287

-13.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MYR 207

$50.5 MYR 199

3.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MYR 1,556

$386 MYR 1,526

1.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 910

$273 MYR 1,080

-15.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MYR 2,531

$632 MYR 2,498

1.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$517 MYR 2,042

$466 MYR 1,841

10.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,335 MYR 9,224

$1,850 MYR 7,308

26.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,703

$981 MYR 3,876

21.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$974 MYR 3,849

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

4.07

2.21%

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

Last update for Penang: 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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