Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Sandakan, Sabah

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $913 a month against $968 in Sandakan, Sabah, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index
45

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

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Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $913 in Penang versus $968 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Penang $913
Sandakan, Sabah $968

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,403 in Penang versus $1,470 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Penang $1,403
Sandakan, Sabah $1,470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,894 in Penang versus $1,971 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Penang $1,894
Sandakan, Sabah $1,971

Living in Penang costs roughly 6% less than in Sandakan, Sabah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Penang 33% lower, Sandakan, Sabah 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 MYR 15.23

$3.65 MYR 14.91

2.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.91 MYR 81.4

$19.26 MYR 78.7

3.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 MYR 19.53

$4.56 MYR 18.63

4.82%

Cappuccino

$2.98 MYR 12.18

$3.07 MYR 12.56

-2.93%

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

$0.75 MYR 3.08

$0.73 MYR 2.98

2.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.50

$0.43 MYR 1.75

-13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 MYR 16.60

$4.24 MYR 17.35

-4.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.88

$3.93 MYR 16.06

11.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 MYR 7.62

$1.99 MYR 8.13

-6.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.42

$1.18 MYR 4.81

-8.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.21

$1.49 MYR 6.10

18.12%

Eggs

$2.22 MYR 9.07

$2.24 MYR 9.16

-0.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 MYR 55.0

$11.79 MYR 48.20

14.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.19

$4.00 MYR 16.36

11.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 MYR 35.56

$9.55 MYR 39.02

-8.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MYR 11.93

$2.84 MYR 11.59

2.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.74

$1.63 MYR 6.65

1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MYR 10.67

$2.53 MYR 10.34

3.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.72

$1.56 MYR 6.39

-10.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 MYR 4.29

$1.39 MYR 5.68

-24.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.56

$1.38 MYR 5.65

-18.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 MYR 4.48

$1.27 MYR 5.17

-13.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MYR 2.40

$0.48 MYR 1.94

22.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 MYR 19.15

$4.04 MYR 16.52

16.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.9

$21.89 MYR 89.5

-11.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 12.28

$3.12 MYR 12.77

-3.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 MYR 22.10

$4.29 MYR 17.51

26.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 MYR 2.05

$0.79 MYR 3.22

-36.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.03 MYR 49.15

$10.67 MYR 43.60

12.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.80

$1.32 MYR 5.41

25.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.63 MYR 2.58

-39.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 MYR 30.53

$8.09 MYR 33.08

-7.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 MYR 3.86

$0.82 MYR 3.33

15.85%

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

$44.2K MYR 180.6K

$46.8K MYR 191.1K

-5.47%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.2K

$39.7K MYR 162.1K

-9.86%

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

$36.68 MYR 150

$48.86 MYR 200

-24.93%

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

$9.56 MYR 39.06

$10.09 MYR 41.24

-5.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.49 MYR 121

$28.65 MYR 117

2.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 MYR 160

$36.98 MYR 151

6.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.85 MYR 19.84

$7.38 MYR 30.16

-34.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MYR 19.53

$5.08 MYR 20.77

-5.91%

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

$398 MYR 1,625

$242 MYR 990

64.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K MYR 43.3K

$7,062 MYR 28.9K

50.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 MYR 249

$63.1 MYR 258

-3.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.45 MYR 145

$30.35 MYR 124

16.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 MYR 342

$91.5 MYR 374

-8.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 MYR 287

$77.2 MYR 316

-9.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 MYR 1,667

$379 MYR 1,549

7.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 MYR 1,174

$326 MYR 1,331

-11.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 MYR 2,851

$631 MYR 2,577

10.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 MYR 2,183

$589 MYR 2,406

-9.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,117 MYR 8,650

$2,010 MYR 8,215

5.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,261 MYR 5,153

$1,149 MYR 4,696

9.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$931 MYR 3,807

$1,210 MYR 4,946

-23.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

4.06

-0.49%

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

Last update for Penang: 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

Penang

$287 31.5%

Sandakan, Sabah

$326 33.6% 13.4% $38

Groceries & Markets

Penang

$257 28.2%

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 26.7% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Penang

$113 12.4%

Sandakan, Sabah

$113 11.7% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

Penang

$113 12.3%

Sandakan, Sabah

$118 12.2% 4.8% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penang

$76 8.3%

Sandakan, Sabah

$88 9.1% 15.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Penang

$49 5.3%

Sandakan, Sabah

$47 4.9% 3.3% $1.6

Getting Around

Penang

$18 1.9%

Sandakan, Sabah

$18 1.9% 4.1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $408 in Penang and $379 in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandakan, Sabah pays 30% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Penang vs $19 in Sandakan, Sabah. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $258, with Penang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Penang

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

Same time as Penang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,336

439,050

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Penang Sandakan, Sabah 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Penang
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

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

Penang is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and transport. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Penang. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $408 in Penang versus $379 in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $398 in Penang versus $242 in Sandakan, Sabah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah – a meal for two runs $19 versus $20 in Penang. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Penang and Sandakan, Sabah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Penang wins on affordability, Sandakan, Sabah on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.