Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $863 a month against $921 in Kota Kinabalu, rent and utilities included – about $700 less a year. The total is higher in Kota Kinabalu despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
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Kota Kinabalu Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index

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Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$921

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$863

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kota Kinabalu and in Da Nang

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

A single person spends $921 per month in Kota Kinabalu vs $863 in Da Nang, rent included.

Kota Kinabalu $921
Da Nang $863

A couple spends around $1,421 per month in Kota Kinabalu vs $1,404 in Da Nang, rent included.

Kota Kinabalu $1,421
Da Nang $1,404

A family of three spends $1,921 per month in Kota Kinabalu vs $1,945 in Da Nang, rent included.

Kota Kinabalu $1,921
Da Nang $1,945

Kota Kinabalu costs about 7% more than Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kota Kinabalu and Da Nang are more affordable than the global median – Kota Kinabalu 32% lower, Da Nang 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.64 MYR 14.86

$2.30 ₫59.4K

58.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.52 MYR 79.6

$19.62 ₫508.0K

-0.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.82 MYR 19.65

$4.60 ₫119.1K

4.78%

Cappuccino

$2.57 MYR 10.50

$1.66 ₫43.0K

54.82%

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

$0.59 MYR 2.41

$0.61 ₫15.7K

-3.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 MYR 1.20

$0.34 ₫8,877

-14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 MYR 10.19

$1.34 ₫34.6K

86.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 MYR 15.28

$2.36 ₫61.1K

58.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MYR 7.02

$1.60 ₫41.5K

7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 MYR 5.28

$1.21 ₫31.3K

7.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 MYR 9.43

$1.00 ₫25.9K

131.00%

Eggs

$3.52 MYR 14.37

$1.51 ₫39.1K

133.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.38 MYR 116

$12.90 ₫333.9K

120.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 MYR 15.06

$4.29 ₫111.1K

-13.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.91 MYR 28.19

$9.06 ₫234.6K

-23.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 MYR 9.20

$2.73 ₫70.6K

-17.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.81

$1.19 ₫30.8K

19.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 MYR 7.78

$1.29 ₫33.4K

48.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.88

$1.60 ₫41.3K

20.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.79

$1.18 ₫30.4K

40.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 MYR 8.44

$1.33 ₫34.3K

55.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$1.01 ₫26.1K

-0.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$0.53 ₫13.7K

-9.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.81 MYR 19.64

$1.56 ₫40.3K

208.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.20 MYR 66.1

$7.93 ₫205.2K

104.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.76 MYR 15.36

$0.88 ₫22.9K

327.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 MYR 10.14

$2.12 ₫54.9K

17.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 MYR 7.76

$0.32 ₫8,182

493.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.22 MYR 176

$4.99 ₫129.3K

766.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 MYR 7.77

$1.05 ₫27.1K

81.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 MYR 0.93

$0.55 ₫14.3K

-58.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.50 ₫504.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$0.95 ₫24.5K

-25.26%

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

$42.5K MYR 173.5K

$30.9K ₫799.2M

37.81%

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

$34.8K MYR 142.1K

$28.0K ₫724.6M

24.41%

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

$69.4 MYR 283

$76.6 ₫2.0M

-9.43%

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

$9.25 MYR 37.75

$6.47 ₫167.6K

42.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.46 MYR 132

$8.08 ₫209.1K

301.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 MYR 209

$24.98 ₫646.6K

105.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.07 MYR 12.53

$5.35 ₫138.6K

-42.62%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 MYR 20.83

$3.07 ₫79.4K

66.45%

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

$138 MYR 565

$161 ₫4.2M

-14.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,981 MYR 28.5K

$15.2K ₫392.3M

-53.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.7 MYR 333

$45.38 ₫1.2M

80.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.02 MYR 151

$27.22 ₫704.7K

36.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 MYR 374

$100 ₫2.6M

-8.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.12 MYR 196

$80.9 ₫2.1M

-40.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 MYR 1,786

$529 ₫13.7M

-17.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 MYR 775

$349 ₫9.0M

-45.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 MYR 2,759

$1,053 ₫27.3M

-35.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,501

$811 ₫21.0M

-54.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,802 MYR 7,351

$3,834 ₫99.3M

-53.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,089 MYR 4,444

$1,308 ₫33.9M

-16.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$578 MYR 2,356

$363 ₫9.4M

58.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

10.72

-63.62%

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

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kota Kinabalu

$290 31.5%

Da Nang

$201 23.2% 30.9% $89

Accommodation & Living

Kota Kinabalu

$190 20.6%

Da Nang

$349 40.4% 83.6% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Kota Kinabalu

$116 12.6%

Da Nang

$114 13.2% 1.9% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kota Kinabalu

$111 12.1%

Da Nang

$91 10.6% 18% $20

Eating Out

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6%

Da Nang

$67 7.8% 31.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Kota Kinabalu

$61 6.7%

Da Nang

$31 3.6% 49.4% $30

Getting Around

Kota Kinabalu

$54 5.9%

Da Nang

$10 1.2% 81.3% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $438 in Kota Kinabalu versus $529 in Da Nang. 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 59% higher in Kota Kinabalu, 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 $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu versus $20.00 in Da Nang. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Kota Kinabalu vs $201 in Da Nang – so Da Nang wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

1 h behind Kota Kinabalu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,425

1,245,200

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kota Kinabalu Da Nang 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kota Kinabalu
Da Nang

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

Kota Kinabalu vs Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $921 in Kota Kinabalu, $863 in Da Nang – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,381 per month in Kota Kinabalu and $1,295 in Da Nang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Da Nang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Kota Kinabalu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu and $20.00 in Da Nang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Da Nang, where all-in costs run around $863, than in Kota Kinabalu at $921. In Da Nang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kota Kinabalu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Da Nang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $863 in Da Nang to $921 in Kota Kinabalu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Da Nang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kota Kinabalu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.