Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $932 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$932

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tawau and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $932 in Tawau versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Tawau $932
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,391 in Tawau versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Tawau $1,391
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,851 in Tawau versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Tawau $1,851
Phuket $3,154

Living in Tawau costs roughly 27% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tawau 32% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.24 MYR 13.22

$4.47 ฿151

-27.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.61 MYR 79.9

$32.41 ฿1,094

-39.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.20 MYR 17.13

$8.81 ฿297

-52.33%

Cappuccino

$3.06 MYR 12.46

$2.83 ฿95.5

8.13%

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

$0.94 MYR 3.81

$0.87 ฿29.43

8.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.45

$0.49 ฿16.67

-26.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 MYR 11.04

$2.56 ฿86.4

5.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 MYR 18.68

$3.68 ฿124

24.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 MYR 7.28

$1.66 ฿56.0

7.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.20

$1.46 ฿49.35

-29.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.82

$1.50 ฿50.6

-4.67%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.15

$2.09 ฿70.5

7.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 MYR 47.71

$19.07 ฿644

-38.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 MYR 17.86

$3.30 ฿111

32.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.45 MYR 38.50

$10.91 ฿368

-13.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MYR 12.63

$2.93 ฿99.0

5.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$1.69 ฿57.1

-9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 MYR 10.36

$2.25 ฿75.8

12.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.53

$2.08 ฿70.1

-34.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.75

$1.51 ฿51.0

-6.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.93

$1.38 ฿46.56

5.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$1.07 ฿35.99

5.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.10

$0.52 ฿17.52

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 MYR 18.09

$4.20 ฿142

5.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.05 MYR 77.6

$18.79 ฿634

1.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 MYR 12.33

$1.82 ฿61.5

66.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 MYR 18.73

$2.84 ฿95.9

61.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MYR 2.83

$1.45 ฿49.03

-52.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.10 MYR 45.21

$56.7 ฿1,913

-80.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.89

$3.02 ฿102

-60.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MYR 2.19

$1.02 ฿34.36

-47.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.62 MYR 31.05

$3.69 ฿125

106.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 MYR 3.17

$1.47 ฿49.81

-46.94%

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

$51.4K MYR 209.3K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

91.87%

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

$34.9K MYR 142.0K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

30.59%

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

$50.5 MYR 206

$96.4 ฿3,254

-47.58%

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

$10.55 MYR 42.97

$11.26 ฿380

-6.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 MYR 114

$16.85 ฿569

66.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.09 MYR 176

$67.2 ฿2,270

-35.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.77 MYR 27.60

$10.73 ฿362

-36.91%

Cinema Ticket

$3.71 MYR 15.12

$7.50 ฿253

-50.53%

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

$240 MYR 979

$476 ฿16.1K

-49.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,864 MYR 32.0K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-30.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 MYR 227

$62.4 ฿2,106

-10.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.86 MYR 146

$28.41 ฿959

26.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 MYR 307

$94.3 ฿3,184

-20.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.2 MYR 278

$85.8 ฿2,898

-20.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$460 MYR 1,875

$716 ฿24.2K

-35.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 MYR 1,284

$491 ฿16.6K

-35.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$780 MYR 3,178

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-59.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$519 MYR 2,115

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-63.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,240 MYR 9,125

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-46.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,307 MYR 5,325

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-57.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$424 MYR 1,727

$502 ฿17.0K

-15.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

5.57

-27.11%

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

Last update for Tawau: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tawau

$315 33.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 55.8% $176

Groceries & Markets

Tawau

$250 26.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 6.4% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Tawau

$106 11.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 15.2% $16

Eating Out

Tawau

$103 11.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 18% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tawau

$89 9.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 39.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Tawau

$51 5.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 62.8% $32

Getting Around

Tawau

$18 1.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 297% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $460 in Tawau and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 18% 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: $20 in Tawau vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $266 per month, with Tawau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Tawau

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

02:58 2:58 AM

1 h behind Tawau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

420,806

79,308

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tawau Phuket 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tawau
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tawau is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Tawau. 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: $460 in Tawau versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $240 in Tawau versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Tawau is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Tawau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.