Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $888 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 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
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$888

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tawau and in Melbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $888 in Tawau versus $2,853 in Melbourne.

Tawau $888
Melbourne $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,354 in Tawau versus $4,275 in Melbourne.

Tawau $1,354
Melbourne $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,820 in Tawau versus $5,697 in Melbourne.

Tawau $1,820
Melbourne $5,697

Living in Tawau costs roughly 69% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tawau is 34% below, Melbourne is 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.14 MYR 12.80

$17.20 A$24.75

-81.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.22 MYR 78.4

$83.1 A$120

-76.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.21 MYR 17.19

$12.43 A$17.88

-66.13%

Cappuccino

$3.15 MYR 12.86

$4.05 A$5.82

-22.22%

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

$0.95 MYR 3.86

$3.12 A$4.50

-69.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

$2.46 A$3.54

-85.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 MYR 10.83

$9.52 A$13.71

-72.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 MYR 18.45

$8.16 A$11.74

-44.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.10

$1.56 A$2.25

11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.09

$2.90 A$4.18

-65.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.06

$2.66 A$3.82

-43.98%

Eggs

$2.16 MYR 8.80

$5.37 A$7.72

-59.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.36 MYR 58.6

$10.67 A$15.36

34.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 MYR 17.75

$9.85 A$14.17

-55.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 MYR 40.10

$15.36 A$22.11

-36.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 MYR 12.41

$4.17 A$6.00

-27.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$3.15 A$4.53

-46.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 MYR 10.13

$3.26 A$4.69

-23.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.10

$4.76 A$6.85

-68.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.32

$3.06 A$4.41

-57.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.94

$2.47 A$3.55

-51.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MYR 4.37

$2.45 A$3.52

-56.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.31

$1.63 A$2.34

-65.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MYR 18.30

$45.17 A$65.0

-90.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.05 MYR 77.7

$12.68 A$18.25

50.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.32

$5.69 A$8.18

-46.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 MYR 20.32

$5.23 A$7.53

-4.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.84

$3.87 A$5.57

-81.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.41 MYR 50.6

$142 A$204

-91.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.11

$4.54 A$6.53

-72.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 MYR 1.97

$1.42 A$2.04

-66.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 MYR 28.49

$30.59 A$44.01

-77.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.57

$1.47 A$2.11

-40.82%

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

$50.2K MYR 204.8K

$28.9K A$41.5K

73.92%

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

$36.0K MYR 146.9K

$25.9K A$37.3K

38.96%

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

$49.37 MYR 201

$235 A$338

-79.00%

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

$10.55 MYR 43.02

$27.45 A$39.51

-61.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.74 MYR 117

$56.1 A$80.8

-48.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.34 MYR 177

$50.1 A$72.1

-13.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.82 MYR 27.83

$21.49 A$30.93

-68.26%

Cinema Ticket

$3.77 MYR 15.39

$17.76 A$25.56

-78.77%

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

$183 MYR 746

$2,385 A$3,432

-92.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,623 MYR 31.1K

$29.7K A$42.7K

-74.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 240

$79.2 A$114

-25.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.06 MYR 135

$49.49 A$71.2

-33.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 MYR 303

$118 A$170

-37.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 MYR 360

$132 A$190

-33.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 MYR 1,578

$1,763 A$2,537

-78.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 MYR 1,030

$1,411 A$2,031

-82.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 MYR 2,433

$3,522 A$5,069

-83.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 MYR 1,823

$2,525 A$3,634

-82.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,936 MYR 7,900

$7,136 A$10.3K

-72.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 MYR 4,962

$6,355 A$9,144

-80.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$418 MYR 1,707

$4,258 A$6,128

-90.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

5.9

-31.19%

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

Last update for Tawau: October 17, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tawau

$260 29.2%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 49.6% $129

Accommodation & Living

Tawau

$253 28.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 459% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Tawau

$114 12.9%

Melbourne

$171 6% 49.1% $56

Eating Out

Tawau

$103 11.6%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 200% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tawau

$89 10%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 260% $230

Sport & Entertainment

Tawau

$51 5.7%

Melbourne

$86 3% 68.3% $35

Getting Around

Tawau

$19 2.1%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 796% $150

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $387 in Tawau and $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 918% 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: $19.00 in Tawau vs $83.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $388 per month, with Tawau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Tawau

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

03:59 3:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

3 h ahead of Tawau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

420,806

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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).

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).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tawau Melbourne 5,450 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tawau
Melbourne

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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tawau and Melbourne differ by about 221% in total monthly costs ($888 vs $2,853 including rent). Tawau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 918% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $387 in Tawau versus $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $183 in Tawau versus $2,385 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $888 in Tawau versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tawau but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tawau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Tawau and Melbourne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tawau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 221% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.