Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Kuching Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Kuching

🙂 Solo nomad: Tawau is 7.9% cheaper than Kuching without rent, and 5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Tawau is 15.1% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 6.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.6 MYR 15.19

$2.8 MYR 11.82

28.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.17 MYR 80.9

$20.06 MYR 84.6

-4.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.02 MYR 16.96

$4.69 MYR 19.76

-14.29%

Cappuccino

$2.31 MYR 9.75

$2.57 MYR 10.83

-10.12%

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

$0.74 MYR 3.11

$0.71 MYR 3

4.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.65

$0.32 MYR 1.37

21.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MYR 10.16

$2.77 MYR 11.68

-13.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 MYR 14.17

$3.58 MYR 15.08

-6.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 MYR 6.56

$1.95 MYR 8.24

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.3 MYR 5.49

$1.13 MYR 4.77

15.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.3

$1.01 MYR 4.27

71.29%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

$2.13 MYR 9

-3.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.13 MYR 63.8

$9.36 MYR 39.48

61.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MYR 18.91

$3.85 MYR 16.23

16.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 MYR 40.4

$7.88 MYR 33.24

21.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MYR 12.06

$3.02 MYR 12.72

-5.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.22

$1.1 MYR 4.64

34.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.6 MYR 10.98

$2.62 MYR 11.06

-0.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 6.05

$1.84 MYR 7.75

-21.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.96

$1.15 MYR 4.85

2.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.6

$1.22 MYR 5.16

9.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MYR 4.4

$1.68 MYR 7.07

-38.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.33

$0.52 MYR 2.2

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.3 MYR 18.13

$4.14 MYR 17.47

3.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.44 MYR 60.9

$19.41 MYR 81.8

-25.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 MYR 12.13

$3.72 MYR 15.7

-22.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 MYR 12.39

$3.38 MYR 14.26

-13.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MYR 2.85

$0.25 MYR 1.06

172.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.97 MYR 50.5

$11.57 MYR 48.8

3.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 MYR 4.9

$0.91 MYR 3.83

27.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 MYR 4.15

$1.14 MYR 4.83

-14.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 MYR 24.33

$1.94 MYR 8.17

197.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 2.09

$0.5 MYR 2.11

-2.00%

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

$35.7K MYR 150.5K

$44.9K MYR 189.4K

-20.51%

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

$31K MYR 130.6K

$36.1K MYR 152.3K

-14.25%

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

$43.49 MYR 183

$42.14 MYR 178

3.20%

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

$9.16 MYR 38.65

$8.94 MYR 37.71

2.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.84 MYR 122

$24.81 MYR 105

16.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.56 MYR 158

$29.84 MYR 126

25.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.93 MYR 24.99

$9.89 MYR 41.73

-40.04%

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 MYR 12.27

$4.62 MYR 19.47

-37.01%

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

$191 MYR 804

$144 MYR 606

32.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,045 MYR 29.7K

$6,013 MYR 25.4K

17.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 252

$66 MYR 278

-9.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.2 MYR 115

$31.77 MYR 134

-14.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MYR 307

$85.6 MYR 361

-14.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.5 MYR 213

$72.2 MYR 304

-30.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 MYR 1,633

$278 MYR 1,171

39.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 MYR 1,123

$208 MYR 877

28.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 MYR 2,724

$571 MYR 2,409

13.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 MYR 2,015

$390 MYR 1,645

22.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,845 MYR 7,781

$1,881 MYR 7,934

-1.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,106 MYR 4,664

$1,330 MYR 5,607

-16.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$565 MYR 2,384

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.07

4.27

-4.68%

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

Last update for Tawau: October 26, 2025

Last update for Kuching: October 29, 2025

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