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

🙂 Solo nomad: Tawau is 5.5% cheaper than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 7.9% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Tawau is 16.5% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 2.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.6 MYR 15.19

$3.47 MYR 14.63

3.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.17 MYR 80.9

$18.92 MYR 79.8

1.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.02 MYR 16.96

$4.6 MYR 19.4

-12.61%

Cappuccino

$2.31 MYR 9.75

$2.72 MYR 11.47

-15.07%

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

$0.74 MYR 3.11

$0.73 MYR 3.07

1.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.65

$0.39 MYR 1.66

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MYR 10.16

$3.47 MYR 14.62

-30.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 MYR 14.17

$4.92 MYR 20.75

-31.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 MYR 6.56

$1.87 MYR 7.89

-16.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.3 MYR 5.49

$0.95 MYR 4.01

36.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.3

$1.72 MYR 7.24

0.58%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

$2.18 MYR 9.18

-5.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.13 MYR 63.8

$10.64 MYR 44.87

42.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MYR 18.91

$3.39 MYR 14.3

32.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 MYR 40.4

$8.19 MYR 34.54

16.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MYR 12.06

$2.79 MYR 11.76

2.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.22

$1.75 MYR 7.37

-15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.6 MYR 10.98

$2.53 MYR 10.68

2.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 6.05

$1.25 MYR 5.27

15.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.96

$1.13 MYR 4.75

4.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.6

$1.4 MYR 5.89

-5.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MYR 4.4

$0.96 MYR 4.04

8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.33

$0.58 MYR 2.45

-5.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.3 MYR 18.13

$4.27 MYR 18.01

0.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.44 MYR 60.9

$18.88 MYR 79.6

-23.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 MYR 12.13

$2.68 MYR 11.31

7.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 MYR 12.39

$3.83 MYR 16.16

-23.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MYR 2.85

$0.71 MYR 2.99

-4.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.97 MYR 50.5

$11.75 MYR 49.57

1.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 MYR 4.9

$1.03 MYR 4.33

12.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 MYR 4.15

$0.35 MYR 1.49

180.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 MYR 24.33

$9.36 MYR 39.46

-38.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 2.09

$0.49 MYR 2.07

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

$35.7K MYR 150.5K

$31.3K MYR 132.2K

13.88%

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

$31K MYR 130.6K

$28K MYR 118.2K

10.44%

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

$43.49 MYR 183

$41.58 MYR 175

4.59%

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

$9.16 MYR 38.65

$8.89 MYR 37.47

3.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.84 MYR 122

$22.97 MYR 96.9

25.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.56 MYR 158

$37.26 MYR 157

0.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.93 MYR 24.99

$7.23 MYR 30.5

-17.98%

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 MYR 12.27

$5.08 MYR 21.43

-42.72%

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

$191 MYR 804

$210 MYR 887

-9.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,045 MYR 29.7K

$8,001 MYR 33.7K

-11.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 252

$49.01 MYR 207

22.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.2 MYR 115

$34.16 MYR 144

-20.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MYR 307

$55.2 MYR 233

32.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.5 MYR 213

$48.06 MYR 203

4.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 MYR 1,633

$455 MYR 1,917

-14.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 MYR 1,123

$349 MYR 1,471

-23.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 MYR 2,724

$823 MYR 3,471

-21.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 MYR 2,015

$542 MYR 2,287

-11.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,845 MYR 7,781

$2,404 MYR 10.1K

-23.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,106 MYR 4,664

$821 MYR 3,463

34.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,668 MYR 7,036

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: October 26, 2025

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 27, 2025

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