Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $920 a month against $1,094 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Petaling Jaya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$920

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tawau and in Petaling Jaya

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 Petaling Jaya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $920 per month in Tawau vs $1,094 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Tawau $920
Petaling Jaya $1,094

A couple spends around $1,420 per month in Tawau vs $1,589 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Tawau $1,420
Petaling Jaya $1,589

A family of three spends $1,921 per month in Tawau vs $2,083 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Tawau $1,921
Petaling Jaya $2,083

Tawau is about 16% cheaper than Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tawau and Petaling Jaya are more affordable than the global median – Tawau 32% lower, Petaling Jaya 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.26 MYR 13.20

$3.64 MYR 14.72

-10.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.02 MYR 81.0

$24.78 MYR 100

-19.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.20 MYR 16.97

$5.00 MYR 20.21

-16.00%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 12.91

$3.02 MYR 12.22

5.63%

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

$0.97 MYR 3.92

$0.85 MYR 3.44

14.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 MYR 1.42

$0.45 MYR 1.80

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 MYR 10.65

$3.28 MYR 13.25

-19.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 MYR 18.75

$5.71 MYR 23.11

-18.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MYR 7.14

$1.95 MYR 7.89

-9.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 MYR 4.57

$1.07 MYR 4.35

5.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.03

$1.43 MYR 5.77

4.20%

Eggs

$2.16 MYR 8.74

$1.85 MYR 7.47

16.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.38 MYR 62.2

$9.87 MYR 39.90

55.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.49 MYR 18.15

$3.33 MYR 13.47

34.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 MYR 38.14

$9.80 MYR 39.64

-3.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MYR 11.59

$3.59 MYR 14.52

-20.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.49

$1.91 MYR 7.73

-16.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 MYR 9.03

$2.63 MYR 10.65

-15.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.00

$1.74 MYR 7.04

-0.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.68

$2.14 MYR 8.67

-34.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.92

$2.04 MYR 8.27

-40.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MYR 4.81

$1.44 MYR 5.82

-17.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.08

$0.53 MYR 2.13

-3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MYR 18.24

$4.50 MYR 18.20

0.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.08 MYR 77.2

$20.01 MYR 80.9

-4.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 MYR 11.70

$2.67 MYR 10.80

8.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 MYR 19.90

$4.49 MYR 18.17

9.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$1.22 MYR 4.91

-36.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.72 MYR 47.38

$12.31 MYR 49.79

-4.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.06

$1.02 MYR 4.13

22.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MYR 2.27

$0.35 MYR 1.43

60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 MYR 21.73

$9.04 MYR 36.55

-40.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.29

$0.82 MYR 3.33

-1.22%

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

$45.3K MYR 183.0K

$45.1K MYR 182.4K

0.32%

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

$35.9K MYR 145.0K

$35.0K MYR 141.7K

2.34%

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

$50.6 MYR 205

$50.3 MYR 203

0.66%

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

$10.23 MYR 41.38

$7.57 MYR 30.63

35.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MYR 115

$26.54 MYR 107

7.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.70 MYR 173

$47.38 MYR 192

-9.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.07 MYR 24.56

$3.12 MYR 12.62

94.55%

Cinema Ticket

$3.63 MYR 14.68

$4.84 MYR 19.56

-25.00%

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

$240 MYR 971

$280 MYR 1,132

-14.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.5K

$20.6K MYR 83.3K

-49.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 220

$52.6 MYR 213

3.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.23 MYR 163

$29.69 MYR 120

35.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 MYR 367

$76.6 MYR 310

18.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 MYR 323

$87.3 MYR 353

-8.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 MYR 1,752

$519 MYR 2,099

-16.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 MYR 1,113

$456 MYR 1,843

-39.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 MYR 3,166

$931 MYR 3,766

-15.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 MYR 2,128

$680 MYR 2,751

-22.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,980 MYR 8,007

$3,129 MYR 12.7K

-36.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,030 MYR 4,165

$972 MYR 3,932

5.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$412 MYR 1,666

$1,746 MYR 7,060

-76.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

4.51

-7.54%

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

Last update for Tawau: November 3, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tawau

$275 30%

Petaling Jaya

$456 41.7% 65.5% $180

Groceries & Markets

Tawau

$262 28.5%

Petaling Jaya

$253 23.1% 3.6% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Tawau

$119 13%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.1% 7.2% $8.6

Eating Out

Tawau

$105 11.4%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.4% 8.3% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tawau

$89 9.7%

Petaling Jaya

$84 7.7% 5.5% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Tawau

$50 5.4%

Petaling Jaya

$57 5.2% 14.2% $7.1

Getting Around

Tawau

$19 2.1%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.8% 5.9% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $433 in Tawau versus $519 in Petaling Jaya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Petaling Jaya are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Tawau versus $25 in Petaling Jaya. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Tawau vs $253 in Petaling Jaya – so Petaling Jaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Tawau

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

10:47 10:47 AM

Same time as Tawau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

420,806

771,687

💱 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 Petaling Jaya 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tawau
Petaling Jaya

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 Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Petaling Jaya costs about 19% more than Tawau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,379 per month in Tawau and $1,641 in Petaling Jaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tawau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $433 there versus $519 in Petaling Jaya.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Tawau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $240 per month in Tawau and $280 in Petaling Jaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $920 in Tawau and $1,094 in Petaling Jaya. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Tawau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Tawau. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Petaling Jaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.