Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Tawau

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $888 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Tawau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $888 in Tawau.

Austin, TX $2,698
Tawau $888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,354 in Tawau.

Austin, TX $4,160
Tawau $1,354

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,820 in Tawau.

Austin, TX $5,622
Tawau $1,820

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 204% more expensive than in Tawau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Tawau is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$3.14 MYR 12.80

557.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$19.22 MYR 78.4

340.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$4.21 MYR 17.19

186.70%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.15 MYR 12.86

73.97%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.95 MYR 3.86

300.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.36 MYR 1.46

586.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.66 MYR 10.83

202.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$4.52 MYR 18.45

96.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-36.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.00 MYR 4.09

272.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.49 MYR 6.06

126.17%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.16 MYR 8.80

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$14.36 MYR 58.6

-8.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$4.35 MYR 17.75

225.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$9.83 MYR 40.10

66.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$3.04 MYR 12.41

49.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.67 MYR 6.83

-12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.48 MYR 10.13

89.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.49 MYR 6.10

178.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.31 MYR 5.32

96.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.21 MYR 4.94

94.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.07 MYR 4.37

65.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.57 MYR 2.31

275.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$4.48 MYR 18.30

125.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$19.05 MYR 77.7

-20.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.02 MYR 12.32

-6.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$4.98 MYR 20.32

-30.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.70 MYR 2.84

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$12.41 MYR 50.6

230.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.25 MYR 5.11

124.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.48 MYR 1.97

233.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$6.98 MYR 28.49

391.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.87 MYR 3.57

8.05%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$50.2K MYR 204.8K

-32.31%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$36.0K MYR 146.9K

-25.68%

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

$223 $223

$49.37 MYR 201

350.98%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$10.55 MYR 43.02

458.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$28.74 MYR 117

145.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$43.34 MYR 177

33.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$6.82 MYR 27.83

142.38%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$3.77 MYR 15.39

278.25%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$183 MYR 746

726.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$7,623 MYR 31.1K

174.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$58.9 MYR 240

-12.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$33.06 MYR 135

33.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$74.3 MYR 303

17.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$88.2 MYR 360

18.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$387 MYR 1,578

401.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$253 MYR 1,030

421.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$596 MYR 2,433

514.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$447 MYR 1,823

474.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$1,936 MYR 7,900

279.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,216 MYR 4,962

157.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$418 MYR 1,707

1163.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.06

67.24%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tawau: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Tawau

$253 28.4% 80.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Tawau

$260 29.2% 36.1% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Tawau

$89 10% 74.8% $263

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Tawau

$103 11.6% 70.6% $247

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Tawau

$114 12.9% 11.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Tawau

$51 5.7% 41% $35

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Tawau

$19 2.1% 67.4% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $387 in Tawau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1163% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $19.00 in Tawau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $260 per month, with Tawau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇾 Tawau

🕒 Local time

13:17 1:17 PM

02:17 2:17 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

420,806

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

MYR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Tawau 14,620 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Tawau

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

Austin, TX vs Tawau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tawau wins on cost – living expenses run 204% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tawau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1163% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $387 in Tawau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $888 in Tawau – a 204% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tawau runs roughly 230% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $888 in Tawau versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tawau but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Tawau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Austin, TX and Tawau are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tawau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 204% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.