Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Sandakan, Sabah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $968 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Sandakan, Sabah
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Sandakan, Sabah Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Sandakan, Sabah

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Sandakan, Sabah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $968 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Barcelona $2,453
Sandakan, Sabah $968

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,470 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Barcelona $3,509
Sandakan, Sabah $1,470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,971 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Barcelona $4,564
Sandakan, Sabah $1,971

Living in Barcelona is roughly 153% more expensive than in Sandakan, Sabah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Sandakan, Sabah is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.80

$3.65 MYR 14.91

381.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.6

$19.26 MYR 78.7

250.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.15

$4.56 MYR 18.63

196.71%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.87

$3.07 MYR 12.56

3.91%

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

$2.91 €2.62

$0.73 MYR 2.98

298.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.43 MYR 1.75

339.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.60

$4.24 MYR 17.35

-5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.07

$3.93 MYR 16.06

15.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.99 MYR 8.13

-34.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.18 MYR 4.81

71.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.49 MYR 6.10

24.16%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.34

$2.24 MYR 9.16

115.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.04

$11.79 MYR 48.20

41.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.19

$4.00 MYR 16.36

128.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.64

$9.55 MYR 39.02

105.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.68

$2.84 MYR 11.59

4.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.63 MYR 6.65

23.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.53 MYR 10.34

6.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.56 MYR 6.39

79.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.39 MYR 5.68

50.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.38 MYR 5.65

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.27 MYR 5.17

14.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.48 MYR 1.94

95.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.17

$4.04 MYR 16.52

70.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.09

$21.89 MYR 89.5

-63.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.12 MYR 12.77

-54.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$4.29 MYR 17.51

-40.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.79 MYR 3.22

297.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.86

$10.67 MYR 43.60

138.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.69

$1.32 MYR 5.41

126.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.63 MYR 2.58

136.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.99

$8.09 MYR 33.08

312.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.62

$0.82 MYR 3.33

119.51%

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

$33.2K €29.8K

$46.8K MYR 191.1K

-29.00%

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

$31.7K €28.5K

$39.7K MYR 162.1K

-20.10%

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

$180 €162

$48.86 MYR 200

269.24%

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

$13.84 €12.43

$10.09 MYR 41.24

37.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.28

$28.65 MYR 117

17.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.28

$36.98 MYR 151

39.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.34

$7.38 MYR 30.16

116.26%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.88

$5.08 MYR 20.77

116.34%

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

$917 €824

$242 MYR 990

278.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$7,062 MYR 28.9K

133.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.2

$63.1 MYR 258

37.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.60

$30.35 MYR 124

26.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.1

$91.5 MYR 374

15.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €108

$77.2 MYR 316

54.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,527

$379 MYR 1,549

348.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,218

$326 MYR 1,331

316.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,339

$631 MYR 2,577

312.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,853

$589 MYR 2,406

250.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,213

$2,010 MYR 8,215

243.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,607

$1,149 MYR 4,696

346.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,986

$1,210 MYR 4,946

82.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.06

-19.21%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Sandakan, Sabah

$326 33.6% 76% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 26.7% 19.8% $64

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Sandakan, Sabah

$113 11.7% 57.6% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Sandakan, Sabah

$88 9.1% 61.6% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Sandakan, Sabah

$118 12.2% 25.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Sandakan, Sabah

$47 4.9% 35.9% $26

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Sandakan, Sabah

$18 1.9% 62.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $379 in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 83% 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $19 in Sandakan, Sabah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $258 per month, with Sandakan, Sabah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

22:12 10:12 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

439,050

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Sandakan, Sabah 11,680 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Sandakan, Sabah

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

Barcelona vs Sandakan, Sabah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Sandakan, Sabah differ by about 153% in total monthly costs ($2,453 vs $968 including rent). Sandakan, Sabah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 83% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $379 in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $242 in Sandakan, Sabah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $968 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sandakan, Sabah but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Sandakan, Sabah 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, Barcelona and Sandakan, Sabah 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 Sandakan, Sabah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.