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

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 9.4% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 1% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 1.9% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 7.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 MYR 12.54

$2.31 MYR 9.73

28.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 MYR 87.9

$18.93 MYR 79.8

10.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.34 MYR 18.32

$4.85 MYR 20.43

-10.52%

Cappuccino

$2.84 MYR 11.97

$2.71 MYR 11.41

4.80%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.89

$0.66 MYR 2.78

4.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.52

$0.23 MYR 0.96

56.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.84

$2.35 MYR 9.9

80.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MYR 18.6

$3.55 MYR 14.98

24.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.65

$1.66 MYR 7.02

9.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 4.18

$1.21 MYR 5.1

-18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.62

$1.16 MYR 4.87

75.86%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

$2.85 MYR 12.01

-28.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 MYR 72.2

$14.97 MYR 63.1

14.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.23 MYR 22.05

$3.56 MYR 15.01

46.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 MYR 62.3

$7.19 MYR 30.3

105.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 MYR 12.25

$2.65 MYR 11.18

9.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 6.18

$1.17 MYR 4.93

24.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.92

$3.16 MYR 13.32

-18.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 MYR 8.88

$1.95 MYR 8.21

8.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.98

$1.23 MYR 5.17

-4.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.1

$1.27 MYR 5.36

-4.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 MYR 3.82

$1.08 MYR 4.54

-15.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.91

$0.47 MYR 1.97

-4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.73

$4.2 MYR 17.71

Wine (Bottle)

$14.1 MYR 59.5

$18.92 MYR 79.8

-25.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.44

$1.93 MYR 8.14

40.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.65

$1.61 MYR 6.79

115.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 MYR 2.05

$0.74 MYR 3.13

-33.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.98 MYR 75.8

$11.71 MYR 49.36

53.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 MYR 3.04

$1.17 MYR 4.92

-38.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.5 MYR 2.1

$0.98 MYR 4.14

-48.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7 MYR 29.53

$5.75 MYR 24.27

21.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.96

$0.46 MYR 1.93

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

$33.6K MYR 141.7K

$29.3K MYR 123.7K

14.50%

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

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

$27.2K MYR 114.6K

-0.26%

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

$39.21 MYR 165

$46.98 MYR 198

-16.54%

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

$10.33 MYR 43.55

$3.64 MYR 15.33

183.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 MYR 131

$23.77 MYR 100

31.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.59 MYR 137

$36.2 MYR 153

-9.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.59 MYR 23.59

$5.79 MYR 24.4

-3.45%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 21.15

$2.75 MYR 11.6

82.18%

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

$241 MYR 1,014

$95.7 MYR 403

151.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,174 MYR 26K

$4,548 MYR 19.2K

35.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 MYR 233

$58.5 MYR 247

-5.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 MYR 120

$23.19 MYR 97.8

22.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 MYR 258

$71 MYR 300

-13.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 MYR 226

$92.5 MYR 390

-42.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 MYR 1,637

$392 MYR 1,654

-1.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 968

$265 MYR 1,120

-13.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 MYR 2,700

$644 MYR 2,714

-0.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 MYR 2,201

$471 MYR 1,986

10.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

$1,722 MYR 7,261

41.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 MYR 6,247

$1,151 MYR 4,852

28.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 MYR 4,643

$703 MYR 2,965

56.60%

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: October 26, 2025

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 29, 2025

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