Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Tawau

For one person, living costs are similar in Penang and in Tawau: $922 and $920 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index

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Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$922

/mo nomad

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Penang and in Tawau

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Penang and in Tawau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $922 in Penang versus $920 in Tawau.

Penang $922
Tawau $920

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,412 in Penang versus $1,420 in Tawau.

Penang $1,412
Tawau $1,420

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,901 in Penang versus $1,921 in Tawau.

Penang $1,901
Tawau $1,921

Monthly costs are close between Penang and Tawau; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Penang 32% lower, Tawau 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 MYR 15.26

$3.26 MYR 13.20

15.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.80 MYR 80.1

$20.02 MYR 81.0

-1.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MYR 18.99

$4.20 MYR 16.97

11.90%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.21

$3.19 MYR 12.91

-5.33%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.11

$0.97 MYR 3.92

-20.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.48

$0.35 MYR 1.42

5.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 MYR 17.02

$2.63 MYR 10.65

60.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 MYR 18.30

$4.64 MYR 18.75

-2.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 MYR 7.21

$1.76 MYR 7.14

1.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.26

$1.13 MYR 4.57

-7.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 6.94

$1.49 MYR 6.03

15.44%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.01

$2.16 MYR 8.74

3.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.81 MYR 55.9

$15.38 MYR 62.2

-10.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.01

$4.49 MYR 18.15

-0.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 MYR 36.06

$9.43 MYR 38.14

-5.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 MYR 12.24

$2.87 MYR 11.59

5.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.70

$1.60 MYR 6.49

3.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MYR 10.59

$2.23 MYR 9.03

17.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.71

$1.73 MYR 7.00

-18.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 MYR 4.32

$1.40 MYR 5.68

-23.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.58

$1.22 MYR 4.92

-7.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.42

$1.19 MYR 4.81

-8.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.18

$0.51 MYR 2.08

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.65 MYR 18.81

$4.51 MYR 18.24

3.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.43 MYR 78.6

$19.08 MYR 77.2

1.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 MYR 12.09

$2.89 MYR 11.70

3.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 MYR 21.80

$4.92 MYR 19.90

9.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MYR 2.06

$0.77 MYR 3.12

-33.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.16 MYR 49.17

$11.72 MYR 47.38

3.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 MYR 6.89

$1.25 MYR 5.06

36.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 MYR 1.62

$0.56 MYR 2.27

-28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 MYR 30.39

$5.37 MYR 21.73

40.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.79

$0.81 MYR 3.29

16.05%

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

$44.7K MYR 180.8K

$45.3K MYR 183.0K

-1.22%

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

$36.3K MYR 146.8K

$35.9K MYR 145.0K

1.23%

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

$37.54 MYR 152

$50.6 MYR 205

-25.78%

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

$9.56 MYR 38.66

$10.23 MYR 41.38

-6.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.23 MYR 118

$28.43 MYR 115

2.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.42 MYR 159

$42.70 MYR 173

-7.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.82 MYR 19.48

$6.07 MYR 24.56

-20.59%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MYR 20.10

$3.63 MYR 14.68

36.91%

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

$401 MYR 1,622

$240 MYR 971

67.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MYR 46.4K

$10.5K MYR 42.5K

9.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 MYR 246

$54.3 MYR 220

12.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.72 MYR 140

$40.23 MYR 163

-13.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 MYR 335

$90.8 MYR 367

-8.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 MYR 282

$79.9 MYR 323

-12.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 MYR 1,675

$433 MYR 1,752

-4.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 MYR 1,189

$275 MYR 1,113

6.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$703 MYR 2,843

$783 MYR 3,166

-10.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 MYR 2,167

$526 MYR 2,128

1.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,142 MYR 8,661

$1,980 MYR 8,007

8.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,255 MYR 5,074

$1,030 MYR 4,165

21.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$927 MYR 3,748

$412 MYR 1,666

124.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

4.17

1.68%

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

Last update for Penang: November 3, 2026

Last update for Tawau: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Penang

$294 31.9%

Tawau

$275 30% 6.3% $19

Groceries & Markets

Penang

$258 28%

Tawau

$262 28.5% 1.5% $3.9

Eating Out

Penang

$115 12.5%

Tawau

$105 11.4% 9% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Penang

$112 12.1%

Tawau

$119 13% 6.9% $7.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penang

$76 8.3%

Tawau

$89 9.7% 16.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Penang

$49 5.4%

Tawau

$50 5.4% 1.2% $0.6

Getting Around

Penang

$18 1.9%

Tawau

$19 2.1% 5.3% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $414 in Penang and $433 in Tawau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Penang vs $20 in Tawau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $262 per month, with Penang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Penang

🇲🇾 Tawau

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

Same time as Penang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,336

420,806

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Penang Tawau 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Penang
Tawau

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Penang vs Tawau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay in Penang is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $414 in Penang versus $433 in Tawau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $401 in Penang versus $240 in Tawau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Tawau runs roughly 4% less than in Penang. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Tawau is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Penang and Tawau are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Tawau wins on affordability, Penang on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.