Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Sandakan, Sabah Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Sandakan, Sabah

🙂 Solo nomad: Petaling Jaya is 7% cheaper than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 4.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Petaling Jaya is 4.9% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 4.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 MYR 14.40

$2.32 MYR 9.15

57.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.95 MYR 74.8

$19.10 MYR 75.4

-0.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 MYR 18.71

$4.79 MYR 18.90

-1.04%

Cappuccino

$2.81 MYR 11.11

$2.64 MYR 10.44

6.44%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.88

$0.69 MYR 2.73

5.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.58

$0.25 MYR 0.99

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 MYR 14.14

$2.39 MYR 9.43

49.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 MYR 19.62

$3.60 MYR 14.23

38.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 MYR 7.68

$1.73 MYR 6.82

12.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 MYR 3.72

$1.19 MYR 4.72

-21.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.04

$1.15 MYR 4.54

54.78%

Eggs

$2.25 MYR 8.89

$2.77 MYR 10.96

-18.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 MYR 41.66

$15.29 MYR 60.4

-31.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 MYR 14.03

$3.56 MYR 14.07

-0.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 MYR 31.18

$7.15 MYR 28.25

10.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 MYR 11.01

$2.61 MYR 10.29

6.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.61

$1.16 MYR 4.59

43.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 MYR 9.66

$3.20 MYR 12.66

-23.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.75

$1.90 MYR 7.51

-36.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.66

$1.20 MYR 4.73

-1.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.25

$1.27 MYR 5.01

4.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.77

$1.13 MYR 4.47

-15.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MYR 2.31

$0.51 MYR 2.00

13.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MYR 16.83

$4.08 MYR 16.12

4.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.10 MYR 79.4

$18.66 MYR 73.7

7.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 MYR 10.52

$1.90 MYR 7.52

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 MYR 15.47

$1.68 MYR 6.65

133.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MYR 3.02

$0.68 MYR 2.69

13.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.59 MYR 45.78

$11.59 MYR 45.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 MYR 4.05

$1.20 MYR 4.75

-14.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.39

$1.04 MYR 4.09

-66.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.50 MYR 37.51

$5.80 MYR 22.90

63.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.83

$0.50 MYR 1.96

-8.00%

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

$31.5K MYR 124.5K

$29.1K MYR 115.1K

8.23%

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

$28.4K MYR 112.1K

$27.9K MYR 110.1K

1.79%

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

$40.92 MYR 162

$47.94 MYR 189

-14.64%

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

$9.19 MYR 36.28

$3.60 MYR 14.23

155.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.78 MYR 90.0

$23.43 MYR 92.5

-2.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.50 MYR 144

$36.62 MYR 145

-0.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.22 MYR 28.51

$5.72 MYR 22.59

26.22%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MYR 19.49

$2.80 MYR 11.05

76.07%

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

$211 MYR 833

$95.2 MYR 376

121.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,077 MYR 31.9K

$4,471 MYR 17.7K

80.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.40 MYR 195

$59.8 MYR 236

-17.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.58 MYR 137

$22.91 MYR 90.5

50.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 MYR 210

$69.8 MYR 276

-23.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.25 MYR 191

$94.3 MYR 373

-48.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 MYR 1,835

$394 MYR 1,557

17.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$339 MYR 1,338

$265 MYR 1,046

27.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 MYR 3,274

$651 MYR 2,571

27.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 MYR 2,154

$467 MYR 1,845

16.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,253 MYR 12.8K

$1,904 MYR 7,520

70.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$803 MYR 3,172

$993 MYR 3,923

-19.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,811 MYR 7,151

$757 MYR 2,990

139.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.49

49.67%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: 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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