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

😐 Solo nomad: Tawau is 4.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 0.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Tawau is 7.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 4.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.53

$1.97 ฿62.0

81.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.92 MYR 76.8

$18.68 ฿587

1.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.06 MYR 16.47

$7.92 ฿249

-48.74%

Cappuccino

$2.31 MYR 9.37

$2.02 ฿63.7

14.36%

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

$0.74 MYR 3.00

$0.84 ฿26.45

-11.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.61

$0.35 ฿11.07

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 MYR 9.82

$2.22 ฿69.9

9.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 MYR 13.74

$3.59 ฿113

-5.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MYR 6.51

$1.67 ฿52.4

-4.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 MYR 5.28

$1.62 ฿51.1

-19.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.83

$1.20 ฿37.83

40.00%

Eggs

$2.06 MYR 8.38

$1.93 ฿60.8

6.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.03 MYR 61.0

$16.00 ฿503

-6.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 MYR 17.78

$3.16 ฿99.2

38.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.68 MYR 39.28

$10.93 ฿344

-11.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MYR 11.64

$2.67 ฿83.8

7.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.92

$1.18 ฿36.99

23.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 MYR 10.17

$1.64 ฿51.5

53.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 MYR 5.56

$1.59 ฿49.83

-13.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.02

$1.32 ฿41.64

-6.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.14

$1.19 ฿37.49

6.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MYR 4.23

$0.71 ฿22.20

46.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.30

$0.56 ฿17.75

1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.40

$4.64 ฿146

-7.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.83 MYR 72.4

$18.96 ฿596

-5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 MYR 11.25

$1.77 ฿55.7

56.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 MYR 11.78

$3.20 ฿101

-9.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.84

$0.90 ฿28.32

-22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.94 MYR 48.47

$19.24 ฿605

-37.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.36 ฿42.78

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 MYR 4.16

$1.35 ฿42.37

-24.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 MYR 23.30

$8.15 ฿256

-29.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$1.22 ฿38.43

-59.02%

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

$35.9K MYR 146.0K

$21.4K ฿671.8K

68.23%

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

$31.4K MYR 127.5K

$21.7K ฿683.8K

44.39%

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

$44.04 MYR 179

$70.3 ฿2,210

-37.35%

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

$9.01 MYR 36.58

$13.91 ฿437

-35.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.27 MYR 119

$18.00 ฿566

62.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.38 MYR 152

$41.78 ฿1,314

-10.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.88 MYR 23.86

$6.80 ฿214

-13.53%

Cinema Ticket

$2.75 MYR 11.15

$5.72 ฿180

-51.92%

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

$190 MYR 771

$308 ฿9,693

-38.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,787 MYR 27.6K

$14.8K ฿465.7K

-54.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.5 MYR 246

$55.9 ฿1,756

8.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.72 MYR 113

$26.71 ฿840

3.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 MYR 299

$84.5 ฿2,658

-12.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.8 MYR 206

$70.8 ฿2,227

-28.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 MYR 1,589

$431 ฿13.5K

-9.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 MYR 1,085

$237 ฿7,439

12.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$655 MYR 2,658

$811 ฿25.5K

-19.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 MYR 1,942

$501 ฿15.7K

-4.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,706 MYR 6,928

$2,202 ฿69.2K

-22.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$747 MYR 3,031

$1,600 ฿50.3K

-53.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$684 ฿21.5K

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: January 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 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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