Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Tawau

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $888 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,245 per month in Sydney vs $888 in Tawau, rent included.

Sydney $3,245
Tawau $888

A couple spends around $4,803 per month in Sydney vs $1,354 in Tawau, rent included.

Sydney $4,803
Tawau $1,354

A family of three spends $6,362 per month in Sydney vs $1,820 in Tawau, rent included.

Sydney $6,362
Tawau $1,820

Sydney costs about 265% more than Tawau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 139% above the global median, while Tawau is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$25.05

$3.14 MYR 12.80

454.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 A$130

$19.22 MYR 78.4

369.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 A$17.15

$4.21 MYR 17.19

183.14%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.80

$3.15 MYR 12.86

27.94%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$0.95 MYR 3.86

203.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.20

$0.36 MYR 1.46

519.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.36

$2.66 MYR 10.83

196.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.76

$4.52 MYR 18.45

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.45

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-1.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.00 MYR 4.09

194.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.61

$1.49 MYR 6.06

68.46%

Eggs

$5.55 A$7.99

$2.16 MYR 8.80

156.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$14.36 MYR 58.6

-18.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$13.35

$4.35 MYR 17.75

113.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 A$24.03

$9.83 MYR 40.10

69.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$3.04 MYR 12.41

28.95%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.55

$1.67 MYR 6.83

89.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$2.48 MYR 10.13

40.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 A$6.31

$1.49 MYR 6.10

193.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.79

$1.31 MYR 5.32

154.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$1.21 MYR 4.94

98.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$1.07 MYR 4.37

115.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.57 MYR 2.31

101.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.8

$4.48 MYR 18.30

889.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 A$19.72

$19.05 MYR 77.7

-28.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$3.02 MYR 12.32

32.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 A$5.80

$4.98 MYR 20.32

-19.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.63

$0.70 MYR 2.84

360.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 A$222

$12.41 MYR 50.6

1141.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$1.25 MYR 5.11

185.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.48 MYR 1.97

229.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.8

$6.98 MYR 28.49

465.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$0.87 MYR 3.57

70.11%

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

$29.6K A$42.5K

$50.2K MYR 204.8K

-41.13%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$36.0K MYR 146.9K

-23.20%

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

$241 A$347

$49.37 MYR 201

388.92%

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

$27.57 A$39.67

$10.55 MYR 43.02

161.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$81.0

$28.74 MYR 117

95.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

$43.34 MYR 177

80.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

$6.82 MYR 27.83

241.06%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.26

$3.77 MYR 15.39

365.52%

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

$2,185 A$3,144

$183 MYR 746

1095.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$40.0K

$7,623 MYR 31.1K

264.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$58.9 MYR 240

35.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 A$102

$33.06 MYR 135

113.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$74.3 MYR 303

48.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$88.2 MYR 360

46.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

$387 MYR 1,578

540.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

$253 MYR 1,030

603.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

$596 MYR 2,433

719.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

$447 MYR 1,823

592.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.3K

$1,936 MYR 7,900

592.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,375 A$12.1K

$1,216 MYR 4,962

588.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,862

$418 MYR 1,707

873.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

4.06

45.81%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Last update for Tawau: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

Tawau

$253 28.4% 85.8% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$378 11.7%

Tawau

$260 29.2% 31.4% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$325 10%

Tawau

$89 10% 72.7% $237

Eating Out

Sydney

$297 9.2%

Tawau

$103 11.6% 65.3% $194

Getting Around

Sydney

$178 5.5%

Tawau

$19 2.1% 89.4% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Tawau

$114 12.9% 34.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$113 3.5%

Tawau

$51 5.7% 55.1% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,477 in Sydney versus $387 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 874% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Sydney versus $19.00 in Tawau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $260 – making Tawau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Tawau

🕒 Local time

08:25 8:25 AM

05:25 5:25 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

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

Sydney Tawau 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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

Sydney vs Tawau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,245 in Sydney, $888 in Tawau – roughly 265% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,867 per month in Sydney and $1,332 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Sydney and $19.00 in Tawau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,245 in Sydney and $888 in Tawau. That's a gap of about 265%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tawau, where all-in costs run around $888, than in Sydney at $3,245. In Tawau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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