Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Penang

For one person, living costs are similar in Tawau and in Penang: $920 and $922 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$920

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tawau and in Penang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tawau and in Penang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $920 in Tawau versus $922 in Penang.

Tawau $920
Penang $922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,420 in Tawau versus $1,412 in Penang.

Tawau $1,420
Penang $1,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Tawau versus $1,901 in Penang.

Tawau $1,921
Penang $1,901

Monthly costs are close between Tawau and Penang; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tawau 32% lower, Penang 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.26 MYR 13.20

$3.77 MYR 15.26

-13.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.02 MYR 81.0

$19.80 MYR 80.1

1.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.20 MYR 16.97

$4.70 MYR 18.99

-10.64%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 12.91

$3.02 MYR 12.21

5.63%

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

$0.97 MYR 3.92

$0.77 MYR 3.11

25.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 MYR 1.42

$0.37 MYR 1.48

-5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 MYR 10.65

$4.21 MYR 17.02

-37.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 MYR 18.75

$4.53 MYR 18.30

2.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MYR 7.14

$1.78 MYR 7.21

-1.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 MYR 4.57

$1.05 MYR 4.26

7.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.03

$1.72 MYR 6.94

-13.37%

Eggs

$2.16 MYR 8.74

$2.23 MYR 9.01

-3.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.38 MYR 62.2

$13.81 MYR 55.9

11.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.49 MYR 18.15

$4.45 MYR 18.01

0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 MYR 38.14

$8.92 MYR 36.06

5.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MYR 11.59

$3.03 MYR 12.24

-5.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.49

$1.66 MYR 6.70

-3.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 MYR 9.03

$2.62 MYR 10.59

-14.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.00

$1.41 MYR 5.71

22.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.68

$1.07 MYR 4.32

30.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.92

$1.13 MYR 4.58

7.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MYR 4.81

$1.09 MYR 4.42

9.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.08

$0.54 MYR 2.18

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MYR 18.24

$4.65 MYR 18.81

-3.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.08 MYR 77.2

$19.43 MYR 78.6

-1.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 MYR 11.70

$2.99 MYR 12.09

-3.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 MYR 19.90

$5.39 MYR 21.80

-8.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$0.51 MYR 2.06

50.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.72 MYR 47.38

$12.16 MYR 49.17

-3.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.06

$1.70 MYR 6.89

-26.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MYR 2.27

$0.40 MYR 1.62

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 MYR 21.73

$7.52 MYR 30.39

-28.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.29

$0.94 MYR 3.79

-13.83%

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

$45.3K MYR 183.0K

$44.7K MYR 180.8K

1.24%

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

$35.9K MYR 145.0K

$36.3K MYR 146.8K

-1.21%

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

$50.6 MYR 205

$37.54 MYR 152

34.74%

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

$10.23 MYR 41.38

$9.56 MYR 38.66

7.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MYR 115

$29.23 MYR 118

-2.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.70 MYR 173

$39.42 MYR 159

8.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.07 MYR 24.56

$4.82 MYR 19.48

25.93%

Cinema Ticket

$3.63 MYR 14.68

$4.97 MYR 20.10

-26.96%

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

$240 MYR 971

$401 MYR 1,622

-40.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.5K

$11.5K MYR 46.4K

-8.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 220

$60.9 MYR 246

-10.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.23 MYR 163

$34.72 MYR 140

15.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 MYR 367

$82.9 MYR 335

9.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 MYR 323

$69.7 MYR 282

14.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 MYR 1,752

$414 MYR 1,675

4.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 MYR 1,113

$294 MYR 1,189

-6.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 MYR 3,166

$703 MYR 2,843

11.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 MYR 2,128

$536 MYR 2,167

-1.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,980 MYR 8,007

$2,142 MYR 8,661

-7.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,030 MYR 4,165

$1,255 MYR 5,074

-17.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$412 MYR 1,666

$927 MYR 3,748

-55.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

4.24

-1.65%

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

Last update for Tawau: November 3, 2026

Last update for Penang: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Tawau

$275 30%

Penang

$294 31.9% 6.7% $19

Groceries & Markets

Tawau

$262 28.5%

Penang

$258 28% 1.5% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Tawau

$119 13%

Penang

$112 12.1% 6.4% $7.7

Eating Out

Tawau

$105 11.4%

Penang

$115 12.5% 10% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tawau

$89 9.7%

Penang

$76 8.3% 14.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Tawau

$50 5.4%

Penang

$49 5.4% 1.2% $0.6

Getting Around

Tawau

$19 2.1%

Penang

$18 1.9% 5% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $433 in Tawau and $414 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Tawau vs $20 in Penang. Groceries flip the comparison at $262 vs $258, with Penang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Tawau

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

12:39 12:39 PM

Same time as Tawau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

420,806

158,336

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tawau Penang 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Tawau
Penang

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tawau vs Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Tawau. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $433 in Tawau versus $414 in Penang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $240 in Tawau versus $401 in Penang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Tawau runs roughly 4% less than in Penang. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Tawau is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Tawau and Penang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Tawau wins on affordability, Penang on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.