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 19.6% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 27.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 11.9% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 21.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 MYR 19.31

$2.31 MYR 9.73

98.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.83 MYR 122

$18.93 MYR 79.8

52.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 20.13

$4.85 MYR 20.43

-1.65%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 12.48

$2.71 MYR 11.41

9.23%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.58

$0.66 MYR 2.78

28.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.5 MYR 2.11

$0.23 MYR 0.96

117.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.82

$2.35 MYR 9.9

80.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 MYR 25.11

$3.55 MYR 14.98

67.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 MYR 8.78

$1.66 MYR 7.02

25.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1 MYR 4.22

$1.21 MYR 5.1

-17.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.92

$1.16 MYR 4.87

41.38%

Eggs

$2.29 MYR 9.64

$2.85 MYR 12.01

-19.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 MYR 62.6

$14.97 MYR 63.1

-0.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.52 MYR 19.05

$3.56 MYR 15.01

26.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.51 MYR 40.1

$7.19 MYR 30.3

32.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 12.46

$2.65 MYR 11.18

11.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MYR 6.85

$1.17 MYR 4.93

38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.7 MYR 11.37

$3.16 MYR 13.32

-14.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.38

$1.95 MYR 8.21

-22.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.11

$1.23 MYR 5.17

-1.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.4 MYR 5.92

$1.27 MYR 5.36

10.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 MYR 5.09

$1.08 MYR 4.54

12.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 MYR 2.87

$0.47 MYR 1.97

44.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MYR 17.68

$4.2 MYR 17.71

-0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.11 MYR 76.4

$18.92 MYR 79.8

-4.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.33 MYR 14.06

$1.93 MYR 8.14

72.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 18.5

$1.61 MYR 6.79

172.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 3.06

$0.74 MYR 3.13

-2.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.74 MYR 49.49

$11.71 MYR 49.36

0.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 5.11

$1.17 MYR 4.92

3.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MYR 4.78

$0.98 MYR 4.14

15.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 MYR 19.35

$5.75 MYR 24.27

-20.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 2.01

$0.46 MYR 1.93

4.35%

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

$40K MYR 168.8K

$29.3K MYR 123.7K

36.45%

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

$33K MYR 139.2K

$27.2K MYR 114.6K

21.46%

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

$64.8 MYR 273

$46.98 MYR 198

37.91%

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

$11.7 MYR 49.34

$3.64 MYR 15.33

221.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.5 MYR 108

$23.77 MYR 100

7.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 MYR 194

$36.2 MYR 153

26.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.76 MYR 32.73

$5.79 MYR 24.4

34.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MYR 22.03

$2.75 MYR 11.6

90.18%

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

$266 MYR 1,122

$95.7 MYR 403

178.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,267 MYR 39.1K

$4,548 MYR 19.2K

103.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 MYR 259

$58.5 MYR 247

5.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.04 MYR 160

$23.19 MYR 97.8

64.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 MYR 364

$71 MYR 300

21.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 MYR 336

$92.5 MYR 390

-13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MYR 2,437

$392 MYR 1,654

47.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 MYR 1,566

$265 MYR 1,120

39.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 MYR 4,472

$644 MYR 2,714

64.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 MYR 2,649

$471 MYR 1,986

33.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,071 MYR 12.9K

$1,722 MYR 7,261

78.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,532 MYR 6,459

$1,151 MYR 4,852

33.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,342 MYR 5,659

$703 MYR 2,965

90.85%

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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 29, 2025

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