Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $888 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$888

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tawau and in Almaty

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tawau and in Almaty actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $888 per month in Tawau vs $1,363 in Almaty, rent included.

Tawau $888
Almaty $1,363

A couple spends around $1,354 per month in Tawau vs $2,131 in Almaty, rent included.

Tawau $1,354
Almaty $2,131

A family of three spends $1,820 per month in Tawau vs $2,900 in Almaty, rent included.

Tawau $1,820
Almaty $2,900

Tawau is about 35% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tawau sits 34% below the global median, while Almaty is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.14 MYR 12.80

$13.05 ₸5,899

-75.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.22 MYR 78.4

$43.44 ₸19.6K

-55.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.21 MYR 17.19

$8.76 ₸3,962

-51.94%

Cappuccino

$3.15 MYR 12.86

$3.32 ₸1,501

-5.12%

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

$0.95 MYR 3.86

$1.34 ₸607

-29.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

$0.83 ₸374

-56.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 MYR 10.83

$3.36 ₸1,518

-20.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 MYR 18.45

$4.02 ₸1,818

12.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.10

$1.65 ₸747

5.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.09

$0.93 ₸421

7.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.06

$2.05 ₸927

-27.32%

Eggs

$2.16 MYR 8.80

$2.46 ₸1,113

-12.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.36 MYR 58.6

$12.49 ₸5,646

14.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 MYR 17.75

$6.71 ₸3,035

-35.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 MYR 40.10

$10.85 ₸4,905

-9.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 MYR 12.41

$1.78 ₸807

70.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$2.25 ₸1,018

-25.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 MYR 10.13

$2.87 ₸1,299

-13.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.10

$2.71 ₸1,227

-45.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.32

$0.80 ₸362

63.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.94

$0.55 ₸249

120.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MYR 4.37

$1.62 ₸732

-33.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.31

$1.00 ₸453

-43.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MYR 18.30

$2.58 ₸1,167

73.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.05 MYR 77.7

$11.15 ₸5,039

70.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.32

$1.26 ₸572

139.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 MYR 20.32

$2.48 ₸1,120

100.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.84

$0.28 ₸128

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.41 MYR 50.6

$22.05 ₸9,970

-43.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.11

$1.34 ₸607

-6.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 MYR 1.97

$0.64 ₸288

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 MYR 28.49

$11.04 ₸4,993

-36.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.57

$0.72 ₸326

20.83%

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

$50.2K MYR 204.8K

$28.1K ₸12.7M

78.37%

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

$36.0K MYR 146.9K

$31.8K ₸14.4M

13.24%

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

$49.37 MYR 201

$90.5 ₸40.9K

-45.46%

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

$10.55 MYR 43.02

$10.63 ₸4,805

-0.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.74 MYR 117

$18.12 ₸8,190

58.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.34 MYR 177

$69.0 ₸31.2K

-37.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.82 MYR 27.83

$26.98 ₸12.2K

-74.72%

Cinema Ticket

$3.77 MYR 15.39

$6.77 ₸3,062

-44.31%

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

$183 MYR 746

$444 ₸200.6K

-58.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,623 MYR 31.1K

$12.0K ₸5.4M

-36.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 240

$91.9 ₸41.5K

-35.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.06 MYR 135

$47.80 ₸21.6K

-30.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 MYR 303

$139 ₸63.0K

-46.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 MYR 360

$131 ₸59.4K

-32.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 MYR 1,578

$777 ₸351.2K

-50.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 MYR 1,030

$494 ₸223.4K

-48.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 MYR 2,433

$1,439 ₸650.4K

-58.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 MYR 1,823

$905 ₸409.2K

-50.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,936 MYR 7,900

$2,470 ₸1.1M

-21.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 MYR 4,962

$1,517 ₸685.7K

-19.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$418 MYR 1,707

$857 ₸387.2K

-51.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

20.65

-80.34%

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

Last update for Tawau: October 17, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tawau

$260 29.2%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 3.5% $9

Accommodation & Living

Tawau

$253 28.4%

Almaty

$494 36.3% 95.6% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Tawau

$114 12.9%

Almaty

$185 13.6% 61.3% $70

Eating Out

Tawau

$103 11.6%

Almaty

$204 15% 97.9% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tawau

$89 10%

Almaty

$119 8.8% 34.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Tawau

$51 5.7%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 62.2% $32

Getting Around

Tawau

$19 2.1%

Almaty

$28 2% 46.9% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $387 in Tawau versus $777 in Almaty. 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 105% higher in Almaty, 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 $19.00 in Tawau versus $43.00 in Almaty. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Tawau vs $251 in Almaty – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Tawau

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

03:18 3:18 AM

01:18 1:18 AM

2 h behind Tawau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

420,806

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tawau Almaty 5,910 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Tawau
Almaty

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

Tawau vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,332 per month in Tawau and $2,044 in Almaty. 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 $19.00 in Tawau and $43.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $888 in Tawau and $1,363 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 53%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tawau, where all-in costs run around $888, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Tawau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty 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, Almaty makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.