Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Da Nang and Sandakan, Sabah

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $889 a month against $968 in Sandakan, Sabah, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. The total is higher in Sandakan, Sabah despite lower rent and utilities.

42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index
45

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

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Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Da Nang 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 Da Nang and in Sandakan, Sabah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $889 per month in Da Nang vs $968 in Sandakan, Sabah, rent included.

Da Nang $889
Sandakan, Sabah $968

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Da Nang vs $1,470 in Sandakan, Sabah, rent included.

Da Nang $1,426
Sandakan, Sabah $1,470

A family of three spends $1,963 per month in Da Nang vs $1,971 in Sandakan, Sabah, rent included.

Da Nang $1,963
Sandakan, Sabah $1,971

Da Nang is about 8% cheaper than Sandakan, Sabah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Da Nang and Sandakan, Sabah are more affordable than the global median – Da Nang 35% lower, Sandakan, Sabah 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.17 ₫56.1K

$3.65 MYR 14.86

-40.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.53 ₫505.0K

$19.26 MYR 78.5

1.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 ₫117.2K

$4.56 MYR 18.57

-0.66%

Cappuccino

$1.64 ₫42.4K

$3.07 MYR 12.52

-46.58%

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

$0.60 ₫15.6K

$0.73 MYR 2.97

-17.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,918

$0.43 MYR 1.75

-20.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ₫34.5K

$4.24 MYR 17.29

-68.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₫61.1K

$3.93 MYR 16.01

-39.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₫41.2K

$1.99 MYR 8.11

-19.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 ₫31.1K

$1.18 MYR 4.80

1.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$1.49 MYR 6.08

-29.53%

Eggs

$1.52 ₫39.4K

$2.24 MYR 9.13

-32.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 ₫331.3K

$11.79 MYR 48.05

8.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 ₫107.7K

$4.00 MYR 16.31

4.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.33 ₫241.1K

$9.55 MYR 38.90

-2.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 ₫67.3K

$2.84 MYR 11.55

-8.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ₫31.4K

$1.63 MYR 6.62

-25.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₫33.1K

$2.53 MYR 10.30

-49.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$1.56 MYR 6.37

0.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ₫31.1K

$1.39 MYR 5.66

-13.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.9K

$1.38 MYR 5.63

-5.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$1.27 MYR 5.15

-18.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₫12.7K

$0.48 MYR 1.94

2.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.51 ₫39.1K

$4.04 MYR 16.47

-62.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 ₫206.0K

$21.89 MYR 89.2

-63.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₫24.1K

$3.12 MYR 12.73

-70.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₫56.4K

$4.29 MYR 17.46

-49.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₫7,708

$0.79 MYR 3.21

-62.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.31 ₫163.0K

$10.67 MYR 43.47

-40.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$1.32 MYR 5.39

-21.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₫14.6K

$0.63 MYR 2.58

-9.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.27 ₫498.1K

$8.09 MYR 32.97

138.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$0.82 MYR 3.32

10.98%

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

$30.8K ₫796.9M

$46.8K MYR 190.5K

-34.06%

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

$28.4K ₫733.6M

$39.7K MYR 161.6K

-28.47%

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

$78.5 ₫2.0M

$48.86 MYR 199

60.74%

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

$6.35 ₫164.2K

$10.09 MYR 41.10

-37.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.33 ₫215.3K

$28.65 MYR 117

-70.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.08 ₫700.0K

$36.98 MYR 151

-26.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.32 ₫137.5K

$7.38 MYR 30.06

-27.91%

Cinema Ticket

$3.37 ₫87.0K

$5.08 MYR 20.70

-33.66%

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

$423 ₫10.9M

$242 MYR 987

74.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ₫390.3M

$7,062 MYR 28.8K

113.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.19 ₫1.2M

$63.1 MYR 257

-28.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.75 ₫717.5K

$30.35 MYR 124

-8.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₫2.6M

$91.5 MYR 373

10.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.8 ₫2.1M

$77.2 MYR 315

7.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 ₫14.3M

$379 MYR 1,544

45.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ₫9.5M

$326 MYR 1,327

13.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 ₫31.7M

$631 MYR 2,569

94.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 ₫21.2M

$589 MYR 2,398

39.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,858 ₫99.7M

$2,010 MYR 8,189

91.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 ₫48.5M

$1,149 MYR 4,681

63.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$362 ₫9.4M

$1,210 MYR 4,930

-70.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.72

4.06

164.04%

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

Last update for Da Nang: 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

Da Nang

$369 41.5%

Sandakan, Sabah

$326 33.6% 11.8% $43

Groceries & Markets

Da Nang

$200 22.5%

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 26.7% 29% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Da Nang

$115 13%

Sandakan, Sabah

$118 12.2% 2.3% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Da Nang

$93 10.5%

Sandakan, Sabah

$88 9.1% 6% $5.6

Eating Out

Da Nang

$66 7.4%

Sandakan, Sabah

$113 11.7% 72.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Da Nang

$34 3.8%

Sandakan, Sabah

$47 4.9% 39.4% $13

Getting Around

Da Nang

$11 1.3%

Sandakan, Sabah

$18 1.9% 61% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $553 in Da Nang versus $379 in Sandakan, Sabah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sandakan, Sabah are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Da Nang versus $19 in Sandakan, Sabah. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Da Nang vs $258 in Sandakan, Sabah – so Da Nang wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

1 h ahead of Da Nang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,200

439,050

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,852 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,779 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Da Nang Sandakan, Sabah 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Da Nang
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $889 in Da Nang, $968 in Sandakan, Sabah – Da Nang comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,333 per month in Da Nang and $1,453 in Sandakan, Sabah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $379 there versus $553 in Da Nang.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Sandakan, Sabah, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Da Nang and $19 in Sandakan, Sabah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $889 in Da Nang and $968 in Sandakan, Sabah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Da Nang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $889 in Da Nang to $968 in Sandakan, Sabah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Da Nang. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sandakan, Sabah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.