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 13.4% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 23.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 28.3% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 25.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.57 MYR 18.00

$2.32 MYR 9.13

96.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.75 MYR 113

$19.10 MYR 75.2

50.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 MYR 18.17

$4.79 MYR 18.86

-3.76%

Cappuccino

$3.11 MYR 12.26

$2.64 MYR 10.42

17.80%

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

$0.92 MYR 3.61

$0.69 MYR 2.72

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.07

$0.25 MYR 0.99

108.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.15 MYR 16.35

$2.39 MYR 9.40

73.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 MYR 22.78

$3.60 MYR 14.19

60.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MYR 7.84

$1.73 MYR 6.80

15.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 3.94

$1.19 MYR 4.71

-15.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 6.81

$1.15 MYR 4.53

50.43%

Eggs

$2.17 MYR 8.55

$2.77 MYR 10.93

-21.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 MYR 58.5

$15.29 MYR 60.3

-2.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 17.98

$3.56 MYR 14.04

28.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 MYR 39.20

$7.15 MYR 28.18

39.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 11.61

$2.61 MYR 10.26

13.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.42

$1.16 MYR 4.58

40.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.22

$3.20 MYR 12.62

-19.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.04

$1.90 MYR 7.49

-19.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 4.87

$1.20 MYR 4.72

3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.50

$1.27 MYR 5.00

10.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MYR 4.55

$1.13 MYR 4.46

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MYR 2.44

$0.51 MYR 2.00

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 MYR 16.28

$4.08 MYR 16.08

1.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.75 MYR 73.9

$18.66 MYR 73.5

0.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 MYR 12.84

$1.90 MYR 7.50

71.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.26

$1.68 MYR 6.64

160.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 2.93

$0.68 MYR 2.68

8.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.98 MYR 47.19

$11.59 MYR 45.68

3.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.70

$1.20 MYR 4.74

-0.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.36

$1.04 MYR 4.08

6.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 MYR 18.51

$5.80 MYR 22.84

-18.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.87

$0.50 MYR 1.96

-6.00%

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

$40.2K MYR 158.2K

$29.1K MYR 114.8K

37.86%

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

$32.1K MYR 126.4K

$27.9K MYR 109.9K

15.04%

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

$63.4 MYR 250

$47.94 MYR 189

32.19%

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

$11.31 MYR 44.55

$3.60 MYR 14.19

214.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.29 MYR 99.7

$23.43 MYR 92.3

7.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.73 MYR 184

$36.62 MYR 144

27.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.78 MYR 30.66

$5.72 MYR 22.53

36.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 MYR 21.05

$2.80 MYR 11.03

90.71%

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

$264 MYR 1,038

$95.2 MYR 375

176.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,254 MYR 36.5K

$4,471 MYR 17.6K

106.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 235

$59.8 MYR 236

-0.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.87 MYR 145

$22.91 MYR 90.3

60.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 MYR 345

$69.8 MYR 275

25.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 MYR 319

$94.3 MYR 372

-14.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 MYR 2,221

$394 MYR 1,553

43.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,449

$265 MYR 1,043

38.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 MYR 4,295

$651 MYR 2,564

67.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 MYR 2,519

$467 MYR 1,840

36.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,036 MYR 15.9K

$1,904 MYR 7,501

112.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 MYR 6,058

$993 MYR 3,913

54.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,597 MYR 6,293

$757 MYR 2,982

111.02%

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: March 1, 2026

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: March 2, 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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