Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Da Nang and Tawau

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $895 a month against $920 in Tawau, rent and utilities included – about $300 less a year. The total is higher in Tawau despite lower rent and utilities.

43

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index

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Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$895

/mo nomad

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Da Nang 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 Da Nang and in Tawau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $895 per month in Da Nang vs $920 in Tawau, rent included.

Da Nang $895
Tawau $920

A couple spends around $1,447 per month in Da Nang vs $1,420 in Tawau, rent included.

Da Nang $1,447
Tawau $1,420

A family of three spends $1,998 per month in Da Nang vs $1,921 in Tawau, rent included.

Da Nang $1,998
Tawau $1,921

Da Nang is about 3% cheaper than Tawau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Da Nang and Tawau are more affordable than the global median – Da Nang 34% lower, Tawau 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ₫58.1K

$3.26 MYR 13.20

-30.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.09 ₫490.2K

$20.02 MYR 81.0

-4.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 ₫117.1K

$4.20 MYR 16.97

8.57%

Cappuccino

$1.63 ₫41.9K

$3.19 MYR 12.91

-48.90%

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

$0.61 ₫15.6K

$0.97 MYR 3.92

-37.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,377

$0.35 MYR 1.42

-5.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.34 ₫34.3K

$2.63 MYR 10.65

-49.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₫58.2K

$4.64 MYR 18.75

-51.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₫40.1K

$1.76 MYR 7.14

-11.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ₫33.4K

$1.13 MYR 4.57

15.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.6K

$1.49 MYR 6.03

-32.89%

Eggs

$1.58 ₫40.7K

$2.16 MYR 8.74

-26.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.14 ₫337.4K

$15.38 MYR 62.2

-14.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 ₫108.3K

$4.49 MYR 18.15

-6.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 ₫223.4K

$9.43 MYR 38.14

-7.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 ₫73.4K

$2.87 MYR 11.59

-0.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.6K

$1.60 MYR 6.49

-23.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 ₫35.5K

$2.23 MYR 9.03

-38.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ₫40.8K

$1.73 MYR 7.00

-8.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫29.9K

$1.40 MYR 5.68

-16.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ₫32.1K

$1.22 MYR 4.92

2.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 ₫24.7K

$1.19 MYR 4.81

-19.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₫13.0K

$0.51 MYR 2.08

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.52 ₫39.0K

$4.51 MYR 18.24

-66.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.55 ₫193.8K

$19.08 MYR 77.2

-60.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ₫24.2K

$2.89 MYR 11.70

-67.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₫61.9K

$4.92 MYR 19.90

-51.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ₫8,277

$0.77 MYR 3.12

-58.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.71 ₫172.3K

$11.72 MYR 47.38

-42.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₫26.3K

$1.25 MYR 5.06

-18.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ₫12.0K

$0.56 MYR 2.27

-16.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.48 ₫269.1K

$5.37 MYR 21.73

95.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 ₫25.4K

$0.81 MYR 3.29

22.22%

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

$30.8K ₫790.8M

$45.3K MYR 183.0K

-31.95%

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

$28.4K ₫729.2M

$35.9K MYR 145.0K

-20.80%

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

$85.8 ₫2.2M

$50.6 MYR 205

69.61%

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

$6.87 ₫176.5K

$10.23 MYR 41.38

-32.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.20 ₫236.4K

$28.43 MYR 115

-67.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.37 ₫702.8K

$42.70 MYR 173

-35.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.50 ₫141.4K

$6.07 MYR 24.56

-9.39%

Cinema Ticket

$3.47 ₫89.0K

$3.63 MYR 14.68

-4.41%

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

$459 ₫11.8M

$240 MYR 971

90.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K ₫518.0M

$10.5K MYR 42.5K

91.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.42 ₫1.1M

$54.3 MYR 220

-23.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.37 ₫702.9K

$40.23 MYR 163

-31.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ₫3.1M

$90.8 MYR 367

32.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.0 ₫2.1M

$79.9 MYR 323

1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 ₫13.9M

$433 MYR 1,752

25.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₫9.2M

$275 MYR 1,113

30.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 ₫29.3M

$783 MYR 3,166

45.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ₫21.3M

$526 MYR 2,128

57.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,798 ₫97.5M

$1,980 MYR 8,007

91.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,854 ₫47.6M

$1,030 MYR 4,165

79.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 ₫11.0M

$412 MYR 1,666

4.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.72

4.17

157.07%

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

Last update for Da Nang: October 31, 2026

Last update for Tawau: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Da Nang

$359 40.1%

Tawau

$275 30% 23.2% $83

Groceries & Markets

Da Nang

$201 22.5%

Tawau

$262 28.5% 30.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Da Nang

$122 13.6%

Tawau

$119 13% 1.8% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Da Nang

$102 11.4%

Tawau

$89 9.7% 12.4% $13

Eating Out

Da Nang

$66 7.4%

Tawau

$105 11.4% 57.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Da Nang

$34 3.8%

Tawau

$50 5.4% 45.7% $16

Getting Around

Da Nang

$11 1.3%

Tawau

$19 2.1% 65.9% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $543 in Da Nang versus $433 in Tawau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 4% higher in Da Nang, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Da Nang versus $20 in Tawau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $201 vs $262 – making Da Nang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🇲🇾 Tawau

🕒 Local time

17:27 5:27 PM

18:27 6:27 PM

1 h ahead of Da Nang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,200

420,806

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.89 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 25,680 VND (100,000 VND = 3.89 USD). 1 EUR = 28,841 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.04 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Da Nang Tawau 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Da Nang
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

Da Nang vs Tawau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $895 in Da Nang, $920 in Tawau – Da Nang comes out roughly 3% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,343 per month in Da Nang and $1,379 in Tawau. 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 $543 in Da Nang.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Tawau, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Da Nang and $20 in Tawau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $895 in Da Nang and $920 in Tawau, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Da Nang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $895 in Da Nang to $920 in Tawau. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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