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

🙂 Solo nomad: Tawau is 7.5% cheaper than Kuching without rent, and 7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Tawau is 12.9% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 3.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 MYR 14.35

$2.89 MYR 11.42

25.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.06 MYR 75.3

$19.78 MYR 78.2

-3.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.23 MYR 16.70

$4.76 MYR 18.81

-11.13%

Cappuccino

$2.30 MYR 9.10

$2.45 MYR 9.69

-6.12%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.08

$0.70 MYR 2.77

11.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.46

$0.30 MYR 1.17

23.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 MYR 9.15

$2.90 MYR 11.44

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MYR 13.22

$3.60 MYR 14.21

-6.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MYR 6.28

$1.87 MYR 7.40

-14.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 MYR 5.33

$1.12 MYR 4.43

20.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.65

$1.02 MYR 4.05

64.71%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.50

$2.19 MYR 8.65

-1.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 MYR 59.1

$9.74 MYR 38.47

53.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 MYR 17.38

$3.85 MYR 15.23

14.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.66 MYR 38.17

$8.02 MYR 31.69

20.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 MYR 11.39

$2.99 MYR 11.80

-3.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MYR 6.02

$1.10 MYR 4.36

38.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 MYR 9.92

$2.53 MYR 10.00

-0.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.48

$1.82 MYR 7.18

-23.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.68

$1.12 MYR 4.42

6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.05

$1.24 MYR 4.92

3.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MYR 4.12

$1.68 MYR 6.62

-38.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.06

$0.49 MYR 1.93

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MYR 16.80

$4.19 MYR 16.56

1.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.73 MYR 74.0

$21.67 MYR 85.6

-13.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 MYR 11.32

$3.88 MYR 15.34

-26.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 11.83

$3.49 MYR 13.77

-14.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MYR 2.88

$0.25 MYR 0.99

192.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.76 MYR 46.46

$11.85 MYR 46.82

-0.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.78

$0.93 MYR 3.67

30.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 MYR 3.93

$1.10 MYR 4.34

-10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.02 MYR 23.78

$1.95 MYR 7.69

208.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 1.99

$0.49 MYR 1.95

2.04%

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

$34.8K MYR 137.5K

$45.7K MYR 180.7K

-23.92%

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

$31.4K MYR 124.0K

$37.0K MYR 146.0K

-15.07%

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

$44.25 MYR 175

$41.74 MYR 165

6.01%

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

$9.08 MYR 35.86

$8.98 MYR 35.46

1.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.91 MYR 114

$25.04 MYR 98.9

15.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.15 MYR 147

$29.52 MYR 117

25.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.85 MYR 23.10

$9.91 MYR 39.14

-40.97%

Cinema Ticket

$2.86 MYR 11.30

$4.60 MYR 18.17

-37.83%

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

$187 MYR 740

$140 MYR 555

33.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,821 MYR 26.9K

$5,993 MYR 23.7K

13.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 MYR 238

$66.8 MYR 264

-9.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.11 MYR 107

$31.50 MYR 124

-13.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 MYR 287

$84.4 MYR 333

-13.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.5 MYR 199

$71.2 MYR 281

-29.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 MYR 1,526

$283 MYR 1,117

36.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 MYR 1,080

$207 MYR 819

31.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 MYR 2,498

$559 MYR 2,207

13.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 MYR 1,841

$390 MYR 1,542

19.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,850 MYR 7,308

$2,168 MYR 8,565

-14.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$981 MYR 3,876

$1,569 MYR 6,196

-37.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$546 MYR 2,159

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Kuching: March 2, 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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