Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Chiang Mai

🙂 Solo nomad: Tawau is 10.3% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 4.3% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Tawau is 9.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 6.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.6 MYR 15.19

$2.02 ฿65.3

78.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.17 MYR 80.9

$18.78 ฿608

2.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.02 MYR 16.96

$7.67 ฿248

-47.59%

Cappuccino

$2.31 MYR 9.75

$1.98 ฿64.2

16.67%

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

$0.74 MYR 3.11

$0.82 ฿26.64

-9.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.65

$0.33 ฿10.58

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MYR 10.16

$2.12 ฿68.6

13.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 MYR 14.17

$3.73 ฿121

-9.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 MYR 6.56

$1.64 ฿53.2

-4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.3 MYR 5.49

$1.57 ฿50.9

-17.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.3

$1.19 ฿38.62

45.38%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

$1.98 ฿64.1

3.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.13 MYR 63.8

$15.99 ฿517

-5.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MYR 18.91

$3.12 ฿101

43.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 MYR 40.4

$11.16 ฿361

-14.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MYR 12.06

$2.76 ฿89.2

3.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.22

$1.22 ฿39.5

21.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.6 MYR 10.98

$1.71 ฿55.4

52.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 6.05

$1.55 ฿50.2

-7.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.96

$1.34 ฿43.21

-11.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.6

$1.21 ฿39.23

9.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MYR 4.4

$0.72 ฿23.2

44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.33

$0.53 ฿17.05

3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.3 MYR 18.13

$4.72 ฿153

-8.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.44 MYR 60.9

$18.39 ฿595

-21.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 MYR 12.13

$1.79 ฿57.9

60.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 MYR 12.39

$3.21 ฿104

-8.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MYR 2.85

$0.94 ฿30.44

-27.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.97 MYR 50.5

$18.9 ฿612

-36.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 MYR 4.9

$1.42 ฿46.08

-18.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 MYR 4.15

$1.35 ฿43.53

-27.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 MYR 24.33

$7.85 ฿254

-26.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 2.09

$1.25 ฿40.4

-60.80%

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

$35.7K MYR 150.5K

$21.2K ฿684.9K

68.66%

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

$31K MYR 130.6K

$21.8K ฿706.8K

41.76%

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

$43.49 MYR 183

$70.6 ฿2,285

-38.41%

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

$9.16 MYR 38.65

$13.72 ฿444

-33.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.84 MYR 122

$17.56 ฿568

64.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.56 MYR 158

$41.64 ฿1,347

-9.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.93 MYR 24.99

$6.9 ฿223

-14.06%

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 MYR 12.27

$5.8 ฿188

-49.83%

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

$191 MYR 804

$308 ฿9,963

-38.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,045 MYR 29.7K

$14.7K ฿475.8K

-52.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 252

$55.4 ฿1,793

8.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.2 MYR 115

$26.4 ฿854

3.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MYR 307

$85.1 ฿2,755

-14.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.5 MYR 213

$71.8 ฿2,323

-29.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 MYR 1,633

$434 ฿14K

-10.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 MYR 1,123

$235 ฿7,610

13.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 MYR 2,724

$821 ฿26.6K

-21.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 MYR 2,015

$498 ฿16.1K

-4.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,845 MYR 7,781

$2,180 ฿70.6K

-15.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,106 MYR 4,664

$1,543 ฿49.9K

-28.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ฿22.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.07

-18.60%

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

Last update for Tawau: October 26, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

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