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

🙂 Solo nomad: Tawau is 3.4% cheaper than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 5.7% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Tawau is 18% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 4.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 MYR 14.35

$3.65 MYR 14.40

-0.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.06 MYR 75.3

$18.95 MYR 74.8

0.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.23 MYR 16.70

$4.74 MYR 18.71

-10.76%

Cappuccino

$2.30 MYR 9.10

$2.81 MYR 11.11

-18.15%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.08

$0.73 MYR 2.88

6.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.46

$0.40 MYR 1.58

-7.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 MYR 9.15

$3.58 MYR 14.14

-35.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MYR 13.22

$4.97 MYR 19.62

-32.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MYR 6.28

$1.94 MYR 7.68

-18.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 MYR 5.33

$0.94 MYR 3.72

43.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.65

$1.78 MYR 7.04

-5.62%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.50

$2.25 MYR 8.89

-4.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 MYR 59.1

$10.55 MYR 41.66

41.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 MYR 17.38

$3.55 MYR 14.03

23.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.66 MYR 38.17

$7.89 MYR 31.18

22.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 MYR 11.39

$2.79 MYR 11.01

3.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MYR 6.02

$1.67 MYR 6.61

-8.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 MYR 9.92

$2.45 MYR 9.66

2.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.48

$1.20 MYR 4.75

15.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.68

$1.18 MYR 4.66

0.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.05

$1.33 MYR 5.25

-3.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MYR 4.12

$0.95 MYR 3.77

9.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.06

$0.58 MYR 2.31

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MYR 16.80

$4.26 MYR 16.83

-0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.73 MYR 74.0

$20.10 MYR 79.4

-6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 MYR 11.32

$2.66 MYR 10.52

7.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 11.83

$3.92 MYR 15.47

-23.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MYR 2.88

$0.77 MYR 3.02

-5.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.76 MYR 46.46

$11.59 MYR 45.78

1.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.78

$1.03 MYR 4.05

17.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 MYR 3.93

$0.35 MYR 1.39

182.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.02 MYR 23.78

$9.50 MYR 37.51

-36.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 1.99

$0.46 MYR 1.83

8.70%

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

$34.8K MYR 137.5K

$31.5K MYR 124.5K

10.38%

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

$31.4K MYR 124.0K

$28.4K MYR 112.1K

10.57%

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

$44.25 MYR 175

$40.92 MYR 162

8.14%

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

$9.08 MYR 35.86

$9.19 MYR 36.28

-1.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.91 MYR 114

$22.78 MYR 90.0

26.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.15 MYR 147

$36.50 MYR 144

1.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.85 MYR 23.10

$7.22 MYR 28.51

-18.98%

Cinema Ticket

$2.86 MYR 11.30

$4.93 MYR 19.49

-41.99%

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

$187 MYR 740

$211 MYR 833

-11.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,821 MYR 26.9K

$8,077 MYR 31.9K

-15.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 MYR 238

$49.40 MYR 195

22.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.11 MYR 107

$34.58 MYR 137

-21.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 MYR 287

$53.3 MYR 210

36.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.5 MYR 199

$48.25 MYR 191

4.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 MYR 1,526

$465 MYR 1,835

-16.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 MYR 1,080

$339 MYR 1,338

-19.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 MYR 2,498

$829 MYR 3,274

-23.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 MYR 1,841

$545 MYR 2,154

-14.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,850 MYR 7,308

$3,253 MYR 12.8K

-43.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$981 MYR 3,876

$803 MYR 3,172

22.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,811 MYR 7,151

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: March 1, 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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