Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tawau

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $920 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $920 in Tawau.

Phuket $1,294
Tawau $920

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,420 in Tawau.

Phuket $2,204
Tawau $1,420

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,921 in Tawau.

Phuket $3,115
Tawau $1,921

Living in Phuket is roughly 41% more expensive than in Tawau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Tawau 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$3.26 MYR 13.20

34.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$20.02 MYR 81.0

61.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$4.20 MYR 16.97

107.14%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$3.19 MYR 12.91

-14.73%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$0.97 MYR 3.92

-4.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$0.35 MYR 1.42

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$2.63 MYR 10.65

-3.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$4.64 MYR 18.75

-21.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.76 MYR 7.14

-1.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.13 MYR 4.57

28.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$1.49 MYR 6.03

0.67%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$2.16 MYR 8.74

0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$15.38 MYR 62.2

24.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$4.49 MYR 18.15

-24.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$9.43 MYR 38.14

15.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$2.87 MYR 11.59

2.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.60 MYR 6.49

5.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$2.23 MYR 9.03

-1.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$1.73 MYR 7.00

22.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$1.40 MYR 5.68

4.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$1.22 MYR 4.92

12.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$1.19 MYR 4.81

-9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$0.51 MYR 2.08

7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$4.51 MYR 18.24

-1.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$19.08 MYR 77.2

-4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$2.89 MYR 11.70

-38.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$4.92 MYR 19.90

-41.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.77 MYR 3.12

88.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$11.72 MYR 47.38

368.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$1.25 MYR 5.06

20.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$0.56 MYR 2.27

39.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$5.37 MYR 21.73

-28.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$0.81 MYR 3.29

83.95%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$45.3K MYR 183.0K

-40.59%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$35.9K MYR 145.0K

-26.51%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$50.6 MYR 205

93.38%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$10.23 MYR 41.38

10.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$28.43 MYR 115

-39.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$42.70 MYR 173

60.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$6.07 MYR 24.56

79.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$3.63 MYR 14.68

104.68%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$240 MYR 971

120.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$10.5K MYR 42.5K

78.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$54.3 MYR 220

13.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$40.23 MYR 163

-29.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$90.8 MYR 367

5.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$79.9 MYR 323

8.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$433 MYR 1,752

66.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$275 MYR 1,113

84.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$783 MYR 3,166

149.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$526 MYR 2,128

165.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$1,980 MYR 8,007

111.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$1,030 MYR 4,165

220.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$412 MYR 1,666

19.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.17

33.57%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tawau: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Tawau

$275 30% 45.9% $234

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Tawau

$262 28.5% 1.8% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Tawau

$89 9.7% 29.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Tawau

$119 13% 2.7% $3.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Tawau

$105 11.4% 12.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Tawau

$50 5.4% 39.9% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Tawau

$19 2.1% 71.5% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $433 in Tawau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 19% 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: $32 in Phuket vs $20 in Tawau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $262 per month, with Tawau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Tawau

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

09:07 9:07 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

420,806

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 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 THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tawau 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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

Phuket vs Tawau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tawau is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Phuket, 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: $721 in Phuket versus $433 in Tawau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $240 in Tawau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tawau – a meal for two runs $20 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Tawau is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Phuket and Tawau are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Tawau wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.