Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Sandakan, Sabah Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Sandakan, Sabah

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 7.5% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 0.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 18.2% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 8.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 MYR 12.10

$2.32 MYR 9.13

32.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.19 MYR 83.5

$19.10 MYR 75.2

10.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.20 MYR 16.53

$4.79 MYR 18.86

-12.32%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 11.68

$2.64 MYR 10.42

12.12%

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

$0.74 MYR 2.92

$0.69 MYR 2.72

7.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.44

$0.25 MYR 0.99

48.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 MYR 17.69

$2.39 MYR 9.40

87.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MYR 17.35

$3.60 MYR 14.19

22.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 MYR 7.50

$1.73 MYR 6.80

9.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 3.91

$1.19 MYR 4.71

-16.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MYR 8.09

$1.15 MYR 4.53

78.26%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.46

$2.77 MYR 10.93

-22.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.37 MYR 68.4

$15.29 MYR 60.3

13.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 MYR 19.69

$3.56 MYR 14.04

40.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 MYR 58.6

$7.15 MYR 28.18

108.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MYR 10.93

$2.61 MYR 10.26

6.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.79

$1.16 MYR 4.58

26.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.18

$3.20 MYR 12.62

-19.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MYR 8.64

$1.90 MYR 7.49

15.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.49

$1.20 MYR 4.72

-5.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.73

$1.27 MYR 5.00

-5.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 MYR 3.52

$1.13 MYR 4.46

-21.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MYR 1.93

$0.51 MYR 2.00

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 MYR 17.13

$4.08 MYR 16.08

6.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.52 MYR 76.9

$18.66 MYR 73.5

4.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.32

$1.90 MYR 7.50

37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 MYR 13.71

$1.68 MYR 6.64

107.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.80

$0.68 MYR 2.68

-32.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.36 MYR 68.4

$11.59 MYR 45.68

49.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$1.20 MYR 4.74

-43.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 1.98

$1.04 MYR 4.08

-51.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 MYR 28.32

$5.80 MYR 22.84

23.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.95

$0.50 MYR 1.96

-2.00%

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

$34.0K MYR 133.9K

$29.1K MYR 114.8K

16.64%

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

$27.9K MYR 109.8K

$27.9K MYR 109.9K

-0.05%

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

$39.37 MYR 155

$47.94 MYR 189

-17.88%

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

$10.01 MYR 39.44

$3.60 MYR 14.19

178.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 MYR 124

$23.43 MYR 92.3

34.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.02 MYR 130

$36.62 MYR 144

-9.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.53 MYR 21.78

$5.72 MYR 22.53

-3.32%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 18.96

$2.80 MYR 11.03

71.79%

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

$237 MYR 934

$95.2 MYR 375

149.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,252 MYR 24.6K

$4,471 MYR 17.6K

39.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 214

$59.8 MYR 236

-9.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.00 MYR 114

$22.91 MYR 90.3

26.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 MYR 246

$69.8 MYR 275

-10.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MYR 207

$94.3 MYR 372

-44.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MYR 1,552

$394 MYR 1,553

-0.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 907

$265 MYR 1,043

-13.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MYR 2,524

$651 MYR 2,564

-1.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$517 MYR 2,037

$467 MYR 1,840

10.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,335 MYR 9,201

$1,904 MYR 7,501

22.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,691

$993 MYR 3,913

19.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$974 MYR 3,839

$757 MYR 2,982

28.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

38.67%

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

Last update for Penang: March 2, 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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