Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $920 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$920

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tawau and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $920 per month in Tawau vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tawau $920
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,420 per month in Tawau vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tawau $1,420
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,921 per month in Tawau vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tawau $1,921
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Tawau is about 24% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tawau and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tawau 32% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.26 MYR 13.20

$10.67 MX$200

-69.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.02 MYR 81.0

$43.80 MX$823

-54.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.20 MYR 16.97

$11.79 MX$221

-64.38%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 12.91

$3.79 MX$71.1

-15.83%

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

$0.97 MYR 3.92

$1.30 MX$24.36

-25.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 MYR 1.42

$0.83 MX$15.65

-57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 MYR 10.65

$3.15 MX$59.1

-16.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 MYR 18.75

$4.93 MX$92.7

-5.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MYR 7.14

$1.41 MX$26.46

24.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 MYR 4.57

$2.20 MX$41.23

-48.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.03

$1.47 MX$27.66

1.36%

Eggs

$2.16 MYR 8.74

$2.50 MX$46.89

-13.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.38 MYR 62.2

$7.29 MX$137

110.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.49 MYR 18.15

$7.95 MX$149

-43.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 MYR 38.14

$12.86 MX$242

-26.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MYR 11.59

$2.90 MX$54.4

-1.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.49

$1.38 MX$25.98

15.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 MYR 9.03

$2.49 MX$46.78

-10.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.00

$2.03 MX$38.12

-14.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.68

$2.02 MX$38.03

-30.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.92

$1.90 MX$35.74

-35.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MYR 4.81

$1.14 MX$21.49

4.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.08

$1.24 MX$23.27

-58.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MYR 18.24

$4.27 MX$80.2

5.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.08 MYR 77.2

$9.81 MX$184

94.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 MYR 11.70

$1.59 MX$29.78

81.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 MYR 19.90

$2.75 MX$51.6

78.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$0.51 MX$9.67

50.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.72 MYR 47.38

$27.39 MX$514

-57.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.06

$4.76 MX$89.4

-73.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MYR 2.27

$3.25 MX$61.0

-82.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 MYR 21.73

$5.39 MX$101

-0.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.29

$1.53 MX$28.70

-47.06%

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

$45.3K MYR 183.0K

$21.2K MX$398.4K

113.31%

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

$35.9K MYR 145.0K

$23.3K MX$436.9K

54.11%

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

$50.6 MYR 205

$83.5 MX$1,568

-39.42%

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

$10.23 MYR 41.38

$23.19 MX$435

-55.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MYR 115

$27.61 MX$519

2.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.70 MYR 173

$56.4 MX$1,060

-24.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.07 MYR 24.56

$28.19 MX$529

-78.47%

Cinema Ticket

$3.63 MYR 14.68

$5.00 MX$93.9

-27.40%

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

$240 MYR 971

$207 MX$3,889

15.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.5K

$5,231 MX$98.2K

100.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 220

$43.45 MX$816

25.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.23 MYR 163

$42.54 MX$799

-5.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 MYR 367

$72.8 MX$1,367

24.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 MYR 323

$88.4 MX$1,660

-9.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 MYR 1,752

$995 MX$18.7K

-56.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 MYR 1,113

$382 MX$7,181

-28.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 MYR 3,166

$1,674 MX$31.4K

-53.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 MYR 2,128

$1,081 MX$20.3K

-51.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,980 MYR 8,007

$3,909 MX$73.4K

-49.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,030 MYR 4,165

$6,138 MX$115.3K

-83.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$412 MYR 1,666

$832 MX$15.6K

-50.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

11.45

-63.58%

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

Last update for Tawau: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tawau

$275 30%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 38.9% $107

Groceries & Markets

Tawau

$262 28.5%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 1.8% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Tawau

$119 13%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 6.9% $8.2

Eating Out

Tawau

$105 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 91.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tawau

$89 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 50.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Tawau

$50 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 33% $16

Getting Around

Tawau

$19 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 168% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $433 in Tawau versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Tawau versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Tawau vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Tawau

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

20:30 8:30 PM

13 h behind Tawau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

420,806

149,923

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.04 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tawau Playa del Carmen 16,130 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Tawau
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,379 per month in Tawau and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $433 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $920 in Tawau and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Tawau about 24% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $240 per month in Tawau and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $920 in Tawau and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $920 in Tawau to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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