Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan, Sabah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $968 a month against $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index
45

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

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Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,074

/mo nomad

Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,074 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $968 in Sandakan, Sabah, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,074
Sandakan, Sabah $968

A couple spends around $1,622 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,470 in Sandakan, Sabah, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,622
Sandakan, Sabah $1,470

A family of three spends $2,170 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,971 in Sandakan, Sabah, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $2,170
Sandakan, Sabah $1,971

Kuala Lumpur costs about 11% more than Sandakan, Sabah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan, Sabah are more affordable than the global median – Kuala Lumpur 21% lower, Sandakan, Sabah 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.98 MYR 20.18

$3.65 MYR 14.79

36.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.03 MYR 118

$19.26 MYR 78.1

50.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.68

$4.56 MYR 18.48

6.36%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.24

$3.07 MYR 12.46

-1.63%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.19

$0.73 MYR 2.95

8.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.84

$0.43 MYR 1.74

4.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 MYR 18.15

$4.24 MYR 17.21

5.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 MYR 24.99

$3.93 MYR 15.93

56.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 MYR 8.56

$1.99 MYR 8.07

6.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.54

$1.18 MYR 4.78

-5.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.82

$1.49 MYR 6.05

29.53%

Eggs

$2.46 MYR 9.96

$2.24 MYR 9.08

9.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 MYR 57.7

$11.79 MYR 47.81

20.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 MYR 17.71

$4.00 MYR 16.23

9.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.86 MYR 39.99

$9.55 MYR 38.71

3.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 MYR 14.02

$2.84 MYR 11.49

21.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.21

$1.63 MYR 6.59

9.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 MYR 9.19

$2.53 MYR 10.25

-10.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.13

$1.56 MYR 6.34

-3.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 4.98

$1.39 MYR 5.63

-11.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.28

$1.38 MYR 5.60

-5.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MYR 4.61

$1.27 MYR 5.13

-10.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MYR 2.86

$0.48 MYR 1.93

47.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.38

$4.04 MYR 16.39

6.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.77 MYR 80.1

$21.89 MYR 88.8

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 MYR 13.64

$3.12 MYR 12.67

7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 MYR 20.35

$4.29 MYR 17.37

17.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.85

$0.79 MYR 3.20

-11.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.44 MYR 50.4

$10.67 MYR 43.25

16.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.85

$1.32 MYR 5.36

-9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.05

$0.63 MYR 2.56

98.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MYR 20.20

$8.09 MYR 32.81

-38.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.60

$0.82 MYR 3.31

8.54%

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

$44.5K MYR 180.6K

$46.8K MYR 189.5K

-4.71%

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

$34.6K MYR 140.3K

$39.7K MYR 160.8K

-12.74%

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

$63.5 MYR 257

$48.86 MYR 198

29.88%

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

$8.62 MYR 34.95

$10.09 MYR 40.90

-14.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.24 MYR 106

$28.65 MYR 116

-8.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.20 MYR 199

$36.98 MYR 150

33.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.32 MYR 29.69

$7.38 MYR 29.91

-0.81%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MYR 20.17

$5.08 MYR 20.60

-2.17%

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

$472 MYR 1,912

$242 MYR 982

94.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K MYR 53.5K

$7,062 MYR 28.6K

86.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MYR 292

$63.1 MYR 256

14.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.48 MYR 168

$30.35 MYR 123

36.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 MYR 340

$91.5 MYR 371

-8.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 MYR 382

$77.2 MYR 313

22.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 MYR 2,778

$379 MYR 1,537

80.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,451

$326 MYR 1,320

9.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 MYR 4,913

$631 MYR 2,556

92.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 MYR 2,404

$589 MYR 2,387

0.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,760 MYR 15.2K

$2,010 MYR 8,149

87.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 MYR 6,343

$1,149 MYR 4,658

36.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,458 MYR 5,909

$1,210 MYR 4,906

20.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

4.06

2.71%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Lumpur

$358 33.3%

Sandakan, Sabah

$326 33.6% 9% $32

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Lumpur

$274 25.5%

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 26.7% 5.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Lumpur

$131 12.2%

Sandakan, Sabah

$118 12.2% 10.1% $13

Eating Out

Kuala Lumpur

$130 12.1%

Sandakan, Sabah

$113 11.7% 12.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Lumpur

$98 9.2%

Sandakan, Sabah

$88 9.1% 10.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5%

Sandakan, Sabah

$47 4.9% 20.3% $12

Getting Around

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1%

Sandakan, Sabah

$18 1.9% 19.2% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $685 in Kuala Lumpur 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 run about 20% higher in Kuala Lumpur. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kuala Lumpur versus $19 in Sandakan, Sabah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $258 – making Sandakan, Sabah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

Same time as Kuala Lumpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,982,112 Capital

439,050

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kuala Lumpur Sandakan, Sabah 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Lumpur
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

Kuala Lumpur vs Sandakan, Sabah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kuala Lumpur is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,611 per month in Kuala Lumpur 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 $685 in Kuala Lumpur.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Kuala Lumpur, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kuala Lumpur 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 $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur and $968 in Sandakan, Sabah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Sandakan, Sabah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Sandakan, Sabah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuala Lumpur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.