Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $889 a month against $932 in Tawau, rent and utilities included – about $520 less a year. The total is higher in Tawau despite lower rent and utilities.

44

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
Learn more

Tawau Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
Learn more

Da Nang Living Index

Jump to prices

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$932

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tawau and in Da Nang

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 Da Nang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $932 per month in Tawau vs $889 in Da Nang, rent included.

Tawau $932
Da Nang $889

A couple spends around $1,391 per month in Tawau vs $1,426 in Da Nang, rent included.

Tawau $1,391
Da Nang $1,426

A family of three spends $1,851 per month in Tawau vs $1,963 in Da Nang, rent included.

Tawau $1,851
Da Nang $1,963

Tawau costs about 5% more than Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tawau and Da Nang are more affordable than the global median – Tawau 32% lower, Da Nang 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.24 MYR 13.22

$2.17 ₫56.1K

49.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.61 MYR 79.9

$19.53 ₫504.6K

0.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.20 MYR 17.13

$4.53 ₫117.1K

-7.28%

Cappuccino

$3.06 MYR 12.46

$1.64 ₫42.4K

86.59%

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

$0.94 MYR 3.81

$0.60 ₫15.6K

56.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.45

$0.34 ₫8,912

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 MYR 11.04

$1.33 ₫34.4K

103.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 MYR 18.68

$2.36 ₫61.0K

94.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 MYR 7.28

$1.60 ₫41.2K

11.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.20

$1.20 ₫31.1K

-14.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.82

$1.05 ₫27.1K

36.19%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.15

$1.52 ₫39.4K

47.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 MYR 47.71

$12.82 ₫331.1K

-8.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 MYR 17.86

$4.17 ₫107.6K

5.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.45 MYR 38.50

$9.33 ₫240.9K

1.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MYR 12.63

$2.60 ₫67.3K

19.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$1.21 ₫31.4K

26.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 MYR 10.36

$1.28 ₫33.1K

98.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.53

$1.57 ₫40.6K

-13.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.75

$1.20 ₫31.0K

17.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.93

$1.31 ₫33.9K

11.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$1.04 ₫26.9K

8.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.10

$0.49 ₫12.7K

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 MYR 18.09

$1.51 ₫39.0K

194.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.05 MYR 77.6

$7.97 ₫205.9K

139.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 MYR 12.33

$0.93 ₫24.0K

225.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 MYR 18.73

$2.18 ₫56.4K

111.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MYR 2.83

$0.30 ₫7,702

130.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.10 MYR 45.21

$6.31 ₫162.9K

75.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.89

$1.04 ₫26.8K

15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MYR 2.19

$0.57 ₫14.6K

-5.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.62 MYR 31.05

$19.27 ₫497.7K

-60.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 MYR 3.17

$0.91 ₫23.5K

-14.29%

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

$51.4K MYR 209.3K

$30.8K ₫796.3M

66.66%

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

$34.9K MYR 142.0K

$28.4K ₫733.1M

22.83%

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

$50.5 MYR 206

$78.5 ₫2.0M

-35.69%

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

$10.55 MYR 42.97

$6.35 ₫164.1K

66.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 MYR 114

$8.33 ₫215.2K

237.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.09 MYR 176

$27.08 ₫699.4K

59.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.77 MYR 27.60

$5.32 ₫137.4K

27.26%

Cinema Ticket

$3.71 MYR 15.12

$3.37 ₫87.0K

10.09%

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

$240 MYR 979

$423 ₫10.9M

-43.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,864 MYR 32.0K

$15.1K ₫390.0M

-47.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 MYR 227

$45.19 ₫1.2M

23.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.86 MYR 146

$27.75 ₫717.0K

29.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 MYR 307

$101 ₫2.6M

-25.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.2 MYR 278

$82.8 ₫2.1M

-17.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$460 MYR 1,875

$553 ₫14.3M

-16.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 MYR 1,284

$369 ₫9.5M

-14.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$780 MYR 3,178

$1,228 ₫31.7M

-36.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$519 MYR 2,115

$821 ₫21.2M

-36.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,240 MYR 9,125

$3,858 ₫99.6M

-41.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,307 MYR 5,325

$1,877 ₫48.5M

-30.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$424 MYR 1,727

$362 ₫9.4M

16.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

10.72

-62.13%

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

Last update for Tawau: October 27, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tawau

$315 33.8%

Da Nang

$369 41.5% 17.1% $54

Groceries & Markets

Tawau

$250 26.9%

Da Nang

$200 22.5% 20% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Tawau

$106 11.4%

Da Nang

$115 13% 9.1% $9.6

Eating Out

Tawau

$103 11.1%

Da Nang

$66 7.4% 36.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tawau

$89 9.6%

Da Nang

$93 10.5% 4.6% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Tawau

$51 5.4%

Da Nang

$34 3.8% 33.1% $17

Getting Around

Tawau

$18 1.9%

Da Nang

$11 1.3% 36% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $460 in Tawau versus $553 in Da Nang. 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 17% higher in Tawau. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Tawau versus $20 in Da Nang. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Tawau vs $200 in Da Nang – so Da Nang wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Tawau

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

04:47 4:47 AM

03:47 3:47 AM

1 h behind Tawau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

420,806

1,245,200

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,757 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tawau Da Nang 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tawau
Da Nang

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 Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $932 in Tawau, $889 in Da Nang – Da Nang comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,398 per month in Tawau and $1,333 in Da Nang. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $460 there versus $553 in Da Nang.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $932 in Tawau and $889 in Da Nang. That makes Da Nang about 5% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $240 per month in Tawau and $423 in Da Nang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $932 in Tawau and $889 in Da Nang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Da Nang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $889 in Da Nang to $932 in Tawau. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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