Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Kuala Lumpur

🙂 Solo nomad: Tawau is 20.8% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 19.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Tawau is 3.5% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 20.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 MYR 14.31

$4.57 MYR 18.00

-20.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.06 MYR 75.1

$28.75 MYR 113

-33.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.23 MYR 16.66

$4.61 MYR 18.17

-8.24%

Cappuccino

$2.30 MYR 9.08

$3.11 MYR 12.26

-26.05%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.08

$0.92 MYR 3.61

-15.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.46

$0.52 MYR 2.07

-28.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 MYR 9.13

$4.15 MYR 16.35

-44.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MYR 13.19

$5.78 MYR 22.78

-42.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MYR 6.26

$1.99 MYR 7.84

-20.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 MYR 5.32

$1.00 MYR 3.94

35.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.63

$1.73 MYR 6.81

-2.89%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.48

$2.17 MYR 8.55

-0.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 MYR 58.9

$14.84 MYR 58.5

0.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 MYR 17.34

$4.56 MYR 17.98

-3.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.66 MYR 38.07

$9.95 MYR 39.20

-2.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 MYR 11.36

$2.95 MYR 11.61

-2.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MYR 6.01

$1.63 MYR 6.42

-6.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 MYR 9.89

$2.59 MYR 10.22

-3.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.47

$1.53 MYR 6.04

-9.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.67

$1.24 MYR 4.87

-4.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.03

$1.40 MYR 5.50

-8.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MYR 4.11

$1.15 MYR 4.55

-9.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.05

$0.62 MYR 2.44

-16.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MYR 16.76

$4.13 MYR 16.28

2.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.73 MYR 73.8

$18.75 MYR 73.9

-0.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 MYR 11.29

$3.26 MYR 12.84

-11.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 11.80

$4.38 MYR 17.26

-31.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MYR 2.87

$0.74 MYR 2.93

-1.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.76 MYR 46.35

$11.98 MYR 47.19

-1.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.77

$1.19 MYR 4.70

1.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 MYR 3.92

$1.11 MYR 4.36

-10.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.02 MYR 23.72

$4.70 MYR 18.51

28.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 1.98

$0.47 MYR 1.87

6.38%

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

$34.8K MYR 137.1K

$40.2K MYR 158.2K

-13.35%

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

$31.4K MYR 123.7K

$32.1K MYR 126.4K

-2.16%

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

$44.25 MYR 174

$63.4 MYR 250

-30.17%

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

$9.08 MYR 35.77

$11.31 MYR 44.55

-19.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.91 MYR 114

$25.29 MYR 99.7

14.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.15 MYR 146

$46.73 MYR 184

-20.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.85 MYR 23.05

$7.78 MYR 30.66

-24.81%

Cinema Ticket

$2.86 MYR 11.27

$5.34 MYR 21.05

-46.44%

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

$187 MYR 738

$264 MYR 1,038

-28.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,821 MYR 26.9K

$9,254 MYR 36.5K

-26.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 MYR 238

$59.8 MYR 235

0.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.11 MYR 107

$36.87 MYR 145

-26.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 MYR 286

$87.5 MYR 345

-17.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.5 MYR 199

$80.8 MYR 319

-37.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 MYR 1,522

$564 MYR 2,221

-31.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 MYR 1,077

$368 MYR 1,449

-25.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 MYR 2,492

$1,090 MYR 4,295

-41.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 MYR 1,837

$639 MYR 2,519

-27.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,850 MYR 7,289

$4,036 MYR 15.9K

-54.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$981 MYR 3,866

$1,538 MYR 6,058

-36.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,597 MYR 6,293

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.07

4.47

-8.95%

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

Last update for Tawau: March 2, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: 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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