Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sandakan, Sabah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $968 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Sandakan, Sabah
Learn more

Sandakan, Sabah Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $968 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Phuket $1,278
Sandakan, Sabah $968

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,470 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Phuket $2,216
Sandakan, Sabah $1,470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,971 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Phuket $3,154
Sandakan, Sabah $1,971

Living in Phuket is roughly 32% more expensive than in Sandakan, Sabah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Sandakan, Sabah 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.65 MYR 14.79

22.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$19.26 MYR 78.1

68.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.56 MYR 18.48

93.20%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.07 MYR 12.46

-7.82%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.73 MYR 2.95

19.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.43 MYR 1.74

13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.24 MYR 17.21

-39.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.93 MYR 15.93

-6.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.99 MYR 8.07

-16.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.18 MYR 4.78

23.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.49 MYR 6.05

0.67%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.24 MYR 9.08

-6.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.79 MYR 47.81

61.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.00 MYR 16.23

-17.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.55 MYR 38.71

14.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.84 MYR 11.49

3.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.63 MYR 6.59

3.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.53 MYR 10.25

-11.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.56 MYR 6.34

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.39 MYR 5.63

8.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.38 MYR 5.60

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.27 MYR 5.13

-15.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.48 MYR 1.93

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.04 MYR 16.39

3.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$21.89 MYR 88.8

-14.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.12 MYR 12.67

-41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.29 MYR 17.37

-33.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.79 MYR 3.20

83.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$10.67 MYR 43.25

431.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.32 MYR 5.36

128.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.63 MYR 2.56

61.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.09 MYR 32.81

-54.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.82 MYR 3.31

79.27%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$46.8K MYR 189.5K

-42.72%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$39.7K MYR 160.8K

-32.72%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$48.86 MYR 198

97.20%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.09 MYR 40.90

11.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$28.65 MYR 116

-41.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$36.98 MYR 150

81.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$7.38 MYR 29.91

45.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.08 MYR 20.60

47.64%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$242 MYR 982

96.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$7,062 MYR 28.6K

59.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$63.1 MYR 256

-1.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$30.35 MYR 123

-6.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$91.5 MYR 371

3.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$77.2 MYR 313

11.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$379 MYR 1,537

88.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$326 MYR 1,320

50.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$631 MYR 2,556

205.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$589 MYR 2,387

143.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,010 MYR 8,149

107.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,149 MYR 4,658

164.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,210 MYR 4,906

-58.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.06

37.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: 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

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sandakan, Sabah

$326 33.6% 33.7% $165

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 26.7% 3% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sandakan, Sabah

$88 9.1% 29.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sandakan, Sabah

$118 12.2% 3.2% $3.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sandakan, Sabah

$113 11.7% 6.8% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sandakan, Sabah

$47 4.9% 42.7% $35

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sandakan, Sabah

$18 1.9% 74.1% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $379 in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandakan, Sabah pays about 2.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $19 in Sandakan, Sabah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $258 per month, with Sandakan, Sabah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🕒 Local time

01:58 1:58 AM

02:58 2:58 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

439,050

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sandakan, Sabah 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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

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

Sandakan, Sabah is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $379 in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $242 in Sandakan, Sabah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $968 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sandakan, Sabah but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sandakan, Sabah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Phuket and Sandakan, Sabah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Sandakan, Sabah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.