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

🙂 Solo nomad: Tawau is 8.7% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 1% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Tawau is 12.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 5.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 MYR 14.31

$2.03 ฿64.6

78.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.06 MYR 75.1

$18.59 ฿593

2.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.23 MYR 16.66

$7.48 ฿238

-43.45%

Cappuccino

$2.30 MYR 9.08

$2.00 ฿63.7

15.00%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.08

$0.85 ฿27.01

-8.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.46

$0.35 ฿11.21

5.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 MYR 9.13

$2.21 ฿70.5

4.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MYR 13.19

$3.76 ฿120

-10.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MYR 6.26

$1.72 ฿54.8

-7.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 MYR 5.32

$1.63 ฿52.1

-17.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.63

$1.16 ฿36.93

44.83%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.48

$1.98 ฿63.1

8.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 MYR 58.9

$15.93 ฿508

-6.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 MYR 17.34

$3.17 ฿101

38.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.66 MYR 38.07

$10.90 ฿348

-11.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 MYR 11.36

$2.65 ฿84.3

8.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MYR 6.01

$1.22 ฿38.98

24.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 MYR 9.89

$1.70 ฿54.1

47.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.47

$1.59 ฿50.7

-12.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.67

$1.32 ฿42.21

-9.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.03

$1.17 ฿37.25

9.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MYR 4.11

$0.68 ฿21.61

52.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.05

$0.56 ฿17.76

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MYR 16.76

$4.51 ฿144

-5.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.73 MYR 73.8

$19.07 ฿608

-1.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 MYR 11.29

$1.77 ฿56.4

62.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 11.80

$3.18 ฿101

-5.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MYR 2.87

$0.96 ฿30.70

-23.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.76 MYR 46.35

$18.90 ฿602

-37.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.77

$1.36 ฿43.29

-11.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 MYR 3.92

$1.35 ฿43.11

-26.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.02 MYR 23.72

$8.03 ฿256

-25.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 1.98

$1.24 ฿39.62

-59.68%

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

$34.8K MYR 137.1K

$21.2K ฿674.7K

64.43%

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

$31.4K MYR 123.7K

$21.8K ฿693.5K

44.26%

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

$44.25 MYR 174

$71.2 ฿2,271

-37.89%

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

$9.08 MYR 35.77

$14.09 ฿449

-35.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.91 MYR 114

$17.47 ฿557

65.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.15 MYR 146

$42.07 ฿1,341

-11.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.85 MYR 23.05

$6.88 ฿219

-14.97%

Cinema Ticket

$2.86 MYR 11.27

$5.94 ฿189

-51.85%

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

$187 MYR 738

$307 ฿9,799

-39.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,821 MYR 26.9K

$14.8K ฿471.6K

-53.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 MYR 238

$55.7 ฿1,775

8.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.11 MYR 107

$26.79 ฿854

1.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 MYR 286

$83.2 ฿2,653

-12.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.5 MYR 199

$70.1 ฿2,235

-27.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 MYR 1,522

$427 ฿13.6K

-9.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 MYR 1,077

$237 ฿7,559

15.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 MYR 2,492

$802 ฿25.6K

-21.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 MYR 1,837

$503 ฿16.0K

-7.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,850 MYR 7,289

$2,061 ฿65.7K

-10.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$981 MYR 3,866

$1,533 ฿48.9K

-35.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 ฿20.8K

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 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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