Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Petaling Jaya Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Petaling Jaya

😐 Solo nomad: Tawau is 7.8% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 2.6% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Tawau is 14.9% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 1.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.53

$3.48 MYR 14.12

2.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.92 MYR 76.8

$18.63 MYR 75.6

1.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.06 MYR 16.47

$4.67 MYR 18.97

-13.06%

Cappuccino

$2.31 MYR 9.37

$2.82 MYR 11.44

-18.09%

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

$0.74 MYR 3.00

$0.73 MYR 2.98

1.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.61

$0.37 MYR 1.49

8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 MYR 9.82

$3.46 MYR 14.04

-30.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 MYR 13.74

$5.19 MYR 21.08

-34.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MYR 6.51

$1.91 MYR 7.76

-16.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 MYR 5.28

$1.01 MYR 4.11

28.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.83

$1.75 MYR 7.09

-4.00%

Eggs

$2.06 MYR 8.38

$2.27 MYR 9.22

-9.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.03 MYR 61.0

$10.56 MYR 42.88

42.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 MYR 17.78

$3.44 MYR 13.95

27.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.68 MYR 39.28

$8.23 MYR 33.41

17.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MYR 11.64

$2.69 MYR 10.90

6.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.92

$1.74 MYR 7.06

-16.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 MYR 10.17

$2.48 MYR 10.09

1.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 MYR 5.56

$1.19 MYR 4.85

15.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.02

$1.19 MYR 4.82

4.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.14

$1.38 MYR 5.60

-7.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MYR 4.23

$0.90 MYR 3.63

15.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.30

$0.59 MYR 2.41

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.40

$4.33 MYR 17.59

-0.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.83 MYR 72.4

$19.00 MYR 77.2

-6.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 MYR 11.25

$2.69 MYR 10.91

2.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 MYR 11.78

$3.83 MYR 15.54

-24.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.84

$0.75 MYR 3.03

-6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.94 MYR 48.47

$11.71 MYR 47.54

1.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.02 MYR 4.14

16.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 MYR 4.16

$0.35 MYR 1.44

191.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 MYR 23.30

$9.01 MYR 36.59

-36.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$0.50 MYR 2.02

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

$35.9K MYR 146.0K

$31.9K MYR 129.5K

12.75%

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

$31.4K MYR 127.5K

$27.5K MYR 111.6K

14.25%

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

$44.04 MYR 179

$41.33 MYR 168

6.56%

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

$9.01 MYR 36.58

$9.31 MYR 37.82

-3.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.27 MYR 119

$23.39 MYR 95.0

25.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.38 MYR 152

$37.06 MYR 150

0.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.88 MYR 23.86

$7.33 MYR 29.75

-19.78%

Cinema Ticket

$2.75 MYR 11.15

$4.80 MYR 19.51

-42.71%

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

$190 MYR 771

$213 MYR 864

-10.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,787 MYR 27.6K

$8,234 MYR 33.4K

-17.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.5 MYR 246

$49.78 MYR 202

21.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.72 MYR 113

$34.45 MYR 140

-19.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 MYR 299

$54.1 MYR 220

35.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.8 MYR 206

$48.92 MYR 199

3.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 MYR 1,589

$454 MYR 1,843

-13.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 MYR 1,085

$349 MYR 1,418

-23.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$655 MYR 2,658

$835 MYR 3,388

-21.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 MYR 1,942

$554 MYR 2,249

-13.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,706 MYR 6,928

$3,218 MYR 13.1K

-46.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$747 MYR 3,031

$759 MYR 3,081

-1.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 MYR 6,952

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.07

4.49

-9.35%

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

Last update for Tawau: January 12, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: January 13, 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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