Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $888 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,300 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
156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

Jump to prices

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$888

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tawau and in Sydney

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

A single person spends $888 per month in Tawau vs $3,245 in Sydney, rent included.

Tawau $888
Sydney $3,245

A couple spends around $1,354 per month in Tawau vs $4,803 in Sydney, rent included.

Tawau $1,354
Sydney $4,803

A family of three spends $1,820 per month in Tawau vs $6,362 in Sydney, rent included.

Tawau $1,820
Sydney $6,362

Tawau is about 73% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tawau sits 34% below the global median, while Sydney is 139% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.14 MYR 12.80

$17.41 A$25.05

-81.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.22 MYR 78.4

$90.3 A$130

-78.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.21 MYR 17.19

$11.92 A$17.15

-64.68%

Cappuccino

$3.15 MYR 12.86

$4.03 A$5.80

-21.84%

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

$0.95 MYR 3.86

$2.88 A$4.15

-67.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

$2.23 A$3.20

-83.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 MYR 10.83

$7.89 A$11.36

-66.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 MYR 18.45

$6.78 A$9.76

-33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.10

$1.71 A$2.45

1.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.09

$2.94 A$4.23

-65.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.06

$2.51 A$3.61

-40.64%

Eggs

$2.16 MYR 8.80

$5.55 A$7.99

-61.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.36 MYR 58.6

$11.77 A$16.94

22.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 MYR 17.75

$9.28 A$13.35

-53.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 MYR 40.10

$16.70 A$24.03

-41.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 MYR 12.41

$3.92 A$5.64

-22.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$3.16 A$4.55

-47.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 MYR 10.13

$3.48 A$5.00

-28.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.10

$4.38 A$6.31

-65.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.32

$3.33 A$4.79

-60.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.94

$2.40 A$3.46

-49.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MYR 4.37

$2.31 A$3.32

-53.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.31

$1.15 A$1.65

-50.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MYR 18.30

$44.34 A$63.8

-89.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.05 MYR 77.7

$13.71 A$19.72

38.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.32

$4.00 A$5.75

-24.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 MYR 20.32

$4.03 A$5.80

23.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.84

$3.22 A$4.63

-78.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.41 MYR 50.6

$154 A$222

-91.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.11

$3.57 A$5.14

-64.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 MYR 1.97

$1.58 A$2.27

-69.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 MYR 28.49

$39.44 A$56.8

-82.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.57

$1.48 A$2.13

-41.22%

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

$50.2K MYR 204.8K

$29.6K A$42.5K

69.87%

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

$36.0K MYR 146.9K

$27.7K A$39.8K

30.20%

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

$49.37 MYR 201

$241 A$347

-79.55%

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

$10.55 MYR 43.02

$27.57 A$39.67

-61.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.74 MYR 117

$56.3 A$81.0

-48.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.34 MYR 177

$78.1 A$112

-44.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.82 MYR 27.83

$23.26 A$33.47

-70.68%

Cinema Ticket

$3.77 MYR 15.39

$17.55 A$25.26

-78.52%

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

$183 MYR 746

$2,185 A$3,144

-91.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,623 MYR 31.1K

$27.8K A$40.0K

-72.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 240

$80.0 A$115

-26.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.06 MYR 135

$70.7 A$102

-53.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 MYR 303

$111 A$159

-32.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 MYR 360

$129 A$186

-31.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 MYR 1,578

$2,477 A$3,564

-84.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 MYR 1,030

$1,777 A$2,557

-85.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 MYR 2,433

$4,885 A$7,030

-87.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 MYR 1,823

$3,093 A$4,451

-85.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,936 MYR 7,900

$13.4K A$19.3K

-85.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 MYR 4,962

$8,375 A$12.1K

-85.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$418 MYR 1,707

$4,074 A$5,862

-89.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

5.92

-31.42%

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

Last update for Tawau: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tawau

$260 29.2%

Sydney

$378 11.7% 45.7% $119

Accommodation & Living

Tawau

$253 28.4%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8% 604% $1.5K

Clothing & Footwear

Tawau

$114 12.9%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 53.6% $61

Eating Out

Tawau

$103 11.6%

Sydney

$297 9.2% 188% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tawau

$89 10%

Sydney

$325 10% 267% $237

Sport & Entertainment

Tawau

$51 5.7%

Sydney

$113 3.5% 123% $62

Getting Around

Tawau

$19 2.1%

Sydney

$178 5.5% 846% $160

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $387 in Tawau versus $2,477 in Sydney. 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 874% higher in Sydney, 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 $90.0 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $378 – making Tawau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Tawau

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

3 h ahead of Tawau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

420,806

4,840,600

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Tawau Sydney 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tawau
Sydney

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 Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $888 in Tawau, $3,245 in Sydney – roughly 265% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,332 per month in Tawau and $4,867 in Sydney. 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 $90.0 in Sydney. 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 $3,245 in Sydney. That's a gap of about 265%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tawau, where all-in costs run around $888, than in Sydney at $3,245. In Tawau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney 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, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.