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

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 2.2% more expensive than Tawau without rent, and 0.5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Penang is 0.2% cheaper than Tawau without rent, and 7.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 MYR 12.61

$3.58 MYR 14.53

-13.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.15 MYR 85.9

$18.92 MYR 76.8

11.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.33 MYR 17.57

$4.06 MYR 16.47

6.65%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.63

$2.31 MYR 9.37

23.81%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$0.74 MYR 3.00

-1.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.48

$0.40 MYR 1.61

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.29 MYR 17.41

$2.42 MYR 9.82

77.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MYR 17.73

$3.38 MYR 13.74

29.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.63

$1.60 MYR 6.51

17.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$1.30 MYR 5.28

-23.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 MYR 8.07

$1.68 MYR 6.83

18.45%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.33

$2.06 MYR 8.38

-0.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.99 MYR 69.0

$15.03 MYR 61.0

13.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 MYR 21.02

$4.38 MYR 17.78

18.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 60.8

$9.68 MYR 39.28

54.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MYR 11.26

$2.87 MYR 11.64

-3.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

$1.46 MYR 5.92

-1.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 MYR 10.96

$2.51 MYR 10.17

7.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MYR 8.47

$1.37 MYR 5.56

52.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$1.24 MYR 5.02

-8.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.97

$1.27 MYR 5.14

-3.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.84

$1.04 MYR 4.23

-8.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.57 MYR 2.30

-21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 MYR 17.12

$4.29 MYR 17.40

-1.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.4

$17.83 MYR 72.4

8.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.63

$2.77 MYR 11.25

-5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 MYR 14.21

$2.90 MYR 11.78

20.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.85

$0.70 MYR 2.84

-34.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.42 MYR 70.7

$11.94 MYR 48.47

45.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$1.19 MYR 4.85

-41.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$1.02 MYR 4.16

-50.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 MYR 29.33

$5.74 MYR 23.30

25.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.88

$0.50 MYR 2.03

-8.00%

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

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

$35.9K MYR 146.0K

-5.75%

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

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

$31.4K MYR 127.5K

-11.94%

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

$38.60 MYR 157

$44.04 MYR 179

-12.35%

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

$10.03 MYR 40.71

$9.01 MYR 36.58

11.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 MYR 125

$29.27 MYR 119

5.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.64 MYR 133

$37.38 MYR 152

-12.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.52 MYR 22.40

$5.88 MYR 23.86

-6.12%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$2.75 MYR 11.15

78.18%

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

$238 MYR 968

$190 MYR 771

25.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

$6,787 MYR 27.6K

-9.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MYR 226

$60.5 MYR 246

-8.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.29 MYR 119

$27.72 MYR 113

5.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 MYR 245

$73.6 MYR 299

-17.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 MYR 214

$50.8 MYR 206

3.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 MYR 1,543

$391 MYR 1,589

-2.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 MYR 920

$267 MYR 1,085

-15.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$649 MYR 2,636

$655 MYR 2,658

-0.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 MYR 2,113

$478 MYR 1,942

8.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 MYR 9,072

$1,706 MYR 6,928

30.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 MYR 4,693

$747 MYR 3,031

54.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$988 MYR 4,012

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for Tawau: January 12, 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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