Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Tawau

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $888 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $888 in Tawau.

Melbourne $2,853
Tawau $888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,354 in Tawau.

Melbourne $4,275
Tawau $1,354

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $1,820 in Tawau.

Melbourne $5,697
Tawau $1,820

Living in Melbourne is roughly 221% more expensive than in Tawau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Tawau is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$3.14 MYR 12.80

447.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$19.22 MYR 78.4

332.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$4.21 MYR 17.19

195.25%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.15 MYR 12.86

28.57%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.95 MYR 3.86

228.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.36 MYR 1.46

583.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$2.66 MYR 10.83

257.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$4.52 MYR 18.45

80.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.00 MYR 4.09

190.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.49 MYR 6.06

78.52%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$2.16 MYR 8.80

148.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$14.36 MYR 58.6

-25.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$4.35 MYR 17.75

126.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$9.83 MYR 40.10

56.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.04 MYR 12.41

37.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.67 MYR 6.83

88.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.48 MYR 10.13

31.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.49 MYR 6.10

219.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$1.31 MYR 5.32

133.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.21 MYR 4.94

104.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.07 MYR 4.37

128.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.57 MYR 2.31

185.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$4.48 MYR 18.30

908.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$19.05 MYR 77.7

-33.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$3.02 MYR 12.32

88.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$4.98 MYR 20.32

5.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.70 MYR 2.84

452.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$12.41 MYR 50.6

1043.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$1.25 MYR 5.11

263.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.48 MYR 1.97

195.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$6.98 MYR 28.49

338.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$0.87 MYR 3.57

68.97%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$50.2K MYR 204.8K

-42.50%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$36.0K MYR 146.9K

-28.04%

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

$235 A$338

$49.37 MYR 201

376.22%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$10.55 MYR 43.02

160.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$28.74 MYR 117

95.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$43.34 MYR 177

15.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$6.82 MYR 27.83

215.10%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$3.77 MYR 15.39

371.09%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$183 MYR 746

1204.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$7,623 MYR 31.1K

289.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$58.9 MYR 240

34.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$33.06 MYR 135

49.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$74.3 MYR 303

59.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$88.2 MYR 360

49.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$387 MYR 1,578

355.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$253 MYR 1,030

458.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$596 MYR 2,433

490.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$447 MYR 1,823

465.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$1,936 MYR 7,900

268.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,216 MYR 4,962

422.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$418 MYR 1,707

917.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.06

45.32%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Tawau: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Tawau

$253 28.4% 82.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Tawau

$260 29.2% 33.2% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Tawau

$89 10% 72.2% $230

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Tawau

$103 11.6% 66.7% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Tawau

$114 12.9% 32.9% $56

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Tawau

$19 2.1% 88.8% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Tawau

$51 5.7% 40.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $387 in Tawau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 918% 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $19.00 in Tawau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $260 per month, with Tawau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇾 Tawau

🕒 Local time

09:38 9:38 AM

06:38 6:38 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

420,806

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Tawau 5,450 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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

Melbourne vs Tawau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Tawau differ by about 221% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $888 including rent). Tawau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 918% higher in Melbourne, 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $387 in Tawau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $183 in Tawau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $888 in Tawau versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tawau but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. 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, Melbourne 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 221% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.