Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tashkent and Tawau

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $888 a month against $1,048 in Tashkent, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Tashkent
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Tashkent Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index

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Tashkent

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$1,048

/mo nomad

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,048 per month in Tashkent vs $888 in Tawau, rent included.

Tashkent $1,048
Tawau $888

A couple spends around $1,646 per month in Tashkent vs $1,354 in Tawau, rent included.

Tashkent $1,646
Tawau $1,354

A family of three spends $2,244 per month in Tashkent vs $1,820 in Tawau, rent included.

Tashkent $2,244
Tawau $1,820

Tashkent costs about 18% more than Tawau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tashkent and Tawau are more affordable than the global median – Tashkent 23% lower, Tawau 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.73 UZS 81.1K

$3.14 MYR 12.80

114.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.94 UZS 397.0K

$19.22 MYR 78.4

71.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 UZS 61.9K

$4.21 MYR 17.19

21.85%

Cappuccino

$2.55 UZS 30.7K

$3.15 MYR 12.86

-19.05%

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

$0.70 UZS 8,488

$0.95 MYR 3.86

-26.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 UZS 3,955

$0.36 MYR 1.46

-8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 UZS 25.2K

$2.66 MYR 10.83

-21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 UZS 45.4K

$4.52 MYR 18.45

-16.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 UZS 15.7K

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-25.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 UZS 10.2K

$1.00 MYR 4.09

-15.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 UZS 19.7K

$1.49 MYR 6.06

9.40%

Eggs

$1.80 UZS 21.6K

$2.16 MYR 8.80

-16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.04 UZS 96.9K

$14.36 MYR 58.6

-44.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 UZS 49.1K

$4.35 MYR 17.75

-6.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.49 UZS 150.6K

$9.83 MYR 40.10

27.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 UZS 18.0K

$3.04 MYR 12.41

-50.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 UZS 21.8K

$1.67 MYR 6.83

8.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 UZS 26.4K

$2.48 MYR 10.13

-11.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 UZS 20.5K

$1.49 MYR 6.10

14.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 UZS 7,171

$1.31 MYR 5.32

-54.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 UZS 4,488

$1.21 MYR 4.94

-69.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 UZS 12.3K

$1.07 MYR 4.37

-4.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 UZS 5,351

$0.57 MYR 2.31

-22.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 UZS 23.5K

$4.48 MYR 18.30

-56.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 UZS 88.4K

$19.05 MYR 77.7

-61.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 UZS 15.9K

$3.02 MYR 12.32

-56.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 UZS 42.7K

$4.98 MYR 20.32

-28.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 UZS 1,786

$0.70 MYR 2.84

-78.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.30 UZS 148.2K

$12.41 MYR 50.6

-0.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 UZS 10.4K

$1.25 MYR 5.11

-31.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 UZS 4,382

$0.48 MYR 1.97

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 UZS 38.4K

$6.98 MYR 28.49

-54.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 UZS 13.6K

$0.87 MYR 3.57

29.89%

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

$17.3K UZS 208.5M

$50.2K MYR 204.8K

-65.54%

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

$20.7K UZS 249.8M

$36.0K MYR 146.9K

-42.44%

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

$67.2 UZS 809.7K

$49.37 MYR 201

36.09%

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

$4.40 UZS 53.0K

$10.55 MYR 43.02

-58.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.35 UZS 160.9K

$28.74 MYR 117

-53.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 UZS 813.2K

$43.34 MYR 177

55.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 UZS 217.5K

$6.82 MYR 27.83

164.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.66 UZS 68.2K

$3.77 MYR 15.39

50.13%

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

$333 UZS 4.0M

$183 MYR 746

81.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,238 UZS 111.3M

$7,623 MYR 31.1K

21.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.73 UZS 599.3K

$58.9 MYR 240

-15.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 UZS 698.6K

$33.06 MYR 135

75.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 UZS 1.3M

$74.3 MYR 303

50.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 UZS 1.6M

$88.2 MYR 360

51.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 UZS 7.2M

$387 MYR 1,578

53.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 UZS 4.8M

$253 MYR 1,030

56.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 UZS 14.3M

$596 MYR 2,433

99.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 UZS 8.9M

$447 MYR 1,823

64.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 UZS 19.5M

$1,936 MYR 7,900

-16.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$944 UZS 11.4M

$1,216 MYR 4,962

-22.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$716 UZS 8.6M

$418 MYR 1,707

71.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.31

4.06

474.14%

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

Last update for Tashkent: 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

Tashkent

$395 37.7%

Tawau

$253 28.4% 36% $142

Groceries & Markets

Tashkent

$193 18.4%

Tawau

$260 29.2% 34.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Tashkent

$159 15.2%

Tawau

$114 12.9% 28% $45

Eating Out

Tashkent

$122 11.6%

Tawau

$103 11.6% 15.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tashkent

$85 8.1%

Tawau

$89 10% 4.4% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Tashkent

$79 7.5%

Tawau

$51 5.7% 35.4% $28

Getting Around

Tashkent

$16 1.5%

Tawau

$19 2.1% 21.1% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $595 in Tashkent 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 71% higher in Tashkent, 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 $33.00 in Tashkent versus $19.00 in Tawau. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Tashkent vs $260 in Tawau – so Tashkent wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇿 Tashkent

🇲🇾 Tawau

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

10:27 10:27 AM

3 h ahead of Tashkent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,956,384 Capital

420,806

💱 Currency

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 UZS = 8.3 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.38 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to UZS – Uzbekistani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇿 Uzbekistani Som (soʻm)

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 12,051 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.3 USD). 1 EUR = 13,548 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.38 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to UZS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tashkent Tawau 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Tashkent
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

Tashkent vs Tawau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tashkent costs about 18% more than Tawau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,572 per month in Tashkent 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 $33.00 in Tashkent 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 $1,048 in Tashkent and $888 in Tawau. That's a gap of about 18%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tawau, where all-in costs run around $888, than in Tashkent at $1,048. In Tawau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tashkent 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, Tashkent makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.