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

🙂 Solo nomad: Tawau is 14.7% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 0.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Tawau is 3.9% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 8.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.6 MYR 15.19

$2.97 MYR 12.54

21.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.17 MYR 80.9

$20.84 MYR 87.9

-8.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.02 MYR 16.96

$4.34 MYR 18.32

-7.37%

Cappuccino

$2.31 MYR 9.75

$2.84 MYR 11.97

-18.66%

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

$0.74 MYR 3.11

$0.69 MYR 2.89

7.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.65

$0.36 MYR 1.52

8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MYR 10.16

$4.23 MYR 17.84

-43.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 MYR 14.17

$4.41 MYR 18.6

-23.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 MYR 6.56

$1.82 MYR 7.65

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.3 MYR 5.49

$0.99 MYR 4.18

31.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.3

$2.04 MYR 8.62

-15.20%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.13 MYR 63.8

$17.11 MYR 72.2

-11.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MYR 18.91

$5.23 MYR 22.05

-14.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 MYR 40.4

$14.77 MYR 62.3

-35.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MYR 12.06

$2.91 MYR 12.25

-1.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.22

$1.46 MYR 6.18

1.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.6 MYR 10.98

$2.59 MYR 10.92

0.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 6.05

$2.11 MYR 8.88

-31.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.96

$1.18 MYR 4.98

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.6

$1.21 MYR 5.1

9.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MYR 4.4

$0.91 MYR 3.82

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.33

$0.45 MYR 1.91

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.3 MYR 18.13

$4.2 MYR 17.73

2.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.44 MYR 60.9

$14.1 MYR 59.5

2.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 MYR 12.13

$2.71 MYR 11.44

6.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 MYR 12.39

$3.47 MYR 14.65

-15.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MYR 2.85

$0.49 MYR 2.05

38.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.97 MYR 50.5

$17.98 MYR 75.8

-33.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 MYR 4.9

$0.72 MYR 3.04

61.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 MYR 4.15

$0.5 MYR 2.1

96.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 MYR 24.33

$7 MYR 29.53

-17.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 2.09

$0.46 MYR 1.96

6.52%

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

$35.7K MYR 150.5K

$33.6K MYR 141.7K

6.25%

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

$31K MYR 130.6K

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

14.27%

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

$43.49 MYR 183

$39.21 MYR 165

10.92%

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

$9.16 MYR 38.65

$10.33 MYR 43.55

-11.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.84 MYR 122

$31.17 MYR 131

-7.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.56 MYR 158

$32.59 MYR 137

15.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.93 MYR 24.99

$5.59 MYR 23.59

6.08%

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 MYR 12.27

$5.01 MYR 21.15

-41.92%

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

$191 MYR 804

$241 MYR 1,014

-20.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,045 MYR 29.7K

$6,174 MYR 26K

14.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 252

$55.3 MYR 233

8.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.2 MYR 115

$28.42 MYR 120

-4.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MYR 307

$61.2 MYR 258

18.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.5 MYR 213

$53.6 MYR 226

-5.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 MYR 1,633

$388 MYR 1,637

-0.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 MYR 1,123

$230 MYR 968

15.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 MYR 2,724

$640 MYR 2,700

0.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 MYR 2,015

$522 MYR 2,201

-8.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,845 MYR 7,781

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

-24.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,106 MYR 4,664

$1,481 MYR 6,247

-25.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 MYR 4,643

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: October 26, 2025

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2025

Similar cities

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

Ubud

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

Kyiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China