Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Penang Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Penang

🙂 Solo nomad: Tawau is 16.4% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 1.8% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Tawau is 4.8% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 8.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 MYR 14.35

$3.07 MYR 12.13

18.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.06 MYR 75.3

$21.19 MYR 83.7

-10.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.23 MYR 16.70

$4.20 MYR 16.58

0.71%

Cappuccino

$2.30 MYR 9.10

$2.96 MYR 11.71

-22.30%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.08

$0.74 MYR 2.93

5.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.46

$0.37 MYR 1.45

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 MYR 9.15

$4.49 MYR 17.73

-48.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MYR 13.22

$4.40 MYR 17.40

-23.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MYR 6.28

$1.90 MYR 7.52

-16.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 MYR 5.33

$0.99 MYR 3.92

36.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.65

$2.05 MYR 8.11

-18.05%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.50

$2.15 MYR 8.48

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 MYR 59.1

$17.37 MYR 68.6

-13.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 MYR 17.38

$5.00 MYR 19.74

-12.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.66 MYR 38.17

$14.88 MYR 58.8

-35.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 MYR 11.39

$2.78 MYR 10.96

3.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MYR 6.02

$1.47 MYR 5.80

3.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 MYR 9.92

$2.58 MYR 10.21

-2.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.48

$2.19 MYR 8.66

-36.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.68

$1.14 MYR 4.50

4.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.05

$1.20 MYR 4.75

6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MYR 4.12

$0.89 MYR 3.53

16.85%

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

$4.35 MYR 17.18

-2.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.73 MYR 74.0

$19.52 MYR 77.1

-4.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 MYR 11.32

$2.62 MYR 10.34

9.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 11.83

$3.48 MYR 13.75

-13.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MYR 2.88

$0.46 MYR 1.80

58.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.76 MYR 46.46

$17.36 MYR 68.6

-32.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.78

$0.68 MYR 2.68

77.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 MYR 3.93

$0.50 MYR 1.98

98.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.02 MYR 23.78

$7.19 MYR 28.39

-16.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 1.99

$0.49 MYR 1.96

2.04%

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

$34.8K MYR 137.5K

$34.0K MYR 134.2K

2.42%

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

$31.4K MYR 124.0K

$27.9K MYR 110.1K

12.61%

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

$44.25 MYR 175

$39.37 MYR 156

12.40%

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

$9.08 MYR 35.86

$10.01 MYR 39.54

-9.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.91 MYR 114

$31.45 MYR 124

-8.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.15 MYR 147

$33.02 MYR 130

12.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.85 MYR 23.10

$5.53 MYR 21.84

5.79%

Cinema Ticket

$2.86 MYR 11.30

$4.81 MYR 19.01

-40.54%

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

$187 MYR 740

$237 MYR 937

-20.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,821 MYR 26.9K

$6,252 MYR 24.7K

9.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 MYR 238

$54.3 MYR 214

11.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.11 MYR 107

$29.00 MYR 115

-6.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 MYR 287

$62.5 MYR 247

16.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.5 MYR 199

$52.4 MYR 207

-3.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 MYR 1,526

$394 MYR 1,556

-1.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 MYR 1,080

$230 MYR 910

18.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 MYR 2,498

$641 MYR 2,531

-1.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 MYR 1,841

$517 MYR 2,042

-9.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,850 MYR 7,308

$2,335 MYR 9,224

-20.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$981 MYR 3,876

$1,191 MYR 4,703

-17.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$974 MYR 3,849

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.07

4.16

-2.16%

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

Last update for Tawau: March 2, 2026

Last update for Penang: 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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