Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan, Sabah Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan, Sabah

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 24.1% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 29.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 35.5% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 23.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 MYR 19.60

$2.42 MYR 9.81

99.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.81 MYR 117

$18.94 MYR 76.9

52.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 MYR 18.81

$4.59 MYR 18.65

0.87%

Cappuccino

$3.07 MYR 12.46

$2.64 MYR 10.73

16.29%

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

$0.87 MYR 3.53

$0.65 MYR 2.65

33.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.11

$0.25 MYR 1.02

108.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 MYR 17.09

$2.41 MYR 9.78

74.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 MYR 23.56

$3.56 MYR 14.45

62.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 MYR 8.12

$1.68 MYR 6.82

19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.07

$1.24 MYR 5.05

-19.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.77

$1.21 MYR 4.90

38.02%

Eggs

$2.27 MYR 9.20

$2.75 MYR 11.16

-17.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.87 MYR 60.4

$15.29 MYR 62.1

-2.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 MYR 18.32

$3.59 MYR 14.57

25.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 39.99

$7.19 MYR 29.19

37.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MYR 11.64

$2.54 MYR 10.29

12.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.45

$1.16 MYR 4.71

37.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.49

$3.17 MYR 12.86

-18.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.91

$1.92 MYR 7.79

-23.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$1.19 MYR 4.84

3.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 MYR 5.46

$1.31 MYR 5.32

3.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 MYR 4.71

$1.09 MYR 4.41

6.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.71

$0.51 MYR 2.07

31.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 MYR 16.92

$4.15 MYR 16.85

0.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.47 MYR 75.0

$18.00 MYR 73.1

2.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 MYR 13.84

$1.90 MYR 7.72

79.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 MYR 17.39

$1.69 MYR 6.87

153.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.94

$0.68 MYR 2.75

5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.94 MYR 48.47

$11.80 MYR 47.90

1.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$1.16 MYR 4.72

4.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.50

$0.98 MYR 4.00

13.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 MYR 19.43

$5.99 MYR 24.33

-20.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$0.46 MYR 1.87

4.35%

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

$40.7K MYR 165.3K

$29.6K MYR 120.0K

37.75%

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

$32.0K MYR 129.7K

$27.2K MYR 110.5K

17.46%

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

$64.5 MYR 262

$46.59 MYR 189

38.46%

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

$11.58 MYR 47.01

$3.64 MYR 14.78

218.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.61 MYR 104

$23.74 MYR 96.4

7.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.05 MYR 187

$36.54 MYR 148

26.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.01 MYR 32.52

$5.77 MYR 23.41

38.82%

Cinema Ticket

$5.35 MYR 21.70

$2.88 MYR 11.70

85.76%

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

$266 MYR 1,080

$95.3 MYR 387

178.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,472 MYR 38.5K

$4,547 MYR 18.5K

108.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 MYR 249

$59.0 MYR 240

3.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.95 MYR 150

$22.74 MYR 92.3

62.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 MYR 353

$71.1 MYR 289

22.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 MYR 325

$93.7 MYR 380

-14.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MYR 2,346

$384 MYR 1,560

50.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 MYR 1,482

$274 MYR 1,114

33.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 MYR 4,284

$654 MYR 2,657

61.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 MYR 2,623

$468 MYR 1,899

38.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,619 MYR 14.7K

$1,451 MYR 5,893

149.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 MYR 6,294

$903 MYR 3,667

71.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,500 MYR 6,090

$752 MYR 3,052

99.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

49.00%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: January 12, 2026

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: January 10, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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