Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sandakan, Sabah Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sandakan, Sabah

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 29.4% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 47.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 59.8% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 76.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.85 MX$212

$2.32 MYR 9.15

410.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.16 MX$755

$19.10 MYR 75.4

120.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 MX$192

$4.79 MYR 18.90

124.43%

Cappuccino

$3.47 MX$62.2

$2.64 MYR 10.44

31.44%

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

$1.45 MX$26.01

$0.69 MYR 2.73

110.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$16.16

$0.25 MYR 0.99

260.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 MX$54.7

$2.39 MYR 9.43

27.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MX$79.1

$3.60 MYR 14.23

22.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$24.51

$1.73 MYR 6.82

-20.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 MX$33.51

$1.19 MYR 4.72

57.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$27.63

$1.15 MYR 4.54

33.91%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$44.81

$2.77 MYR 10.96

-9.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 MX$154

$15.29 MYR 60.4

-43.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 MX$155

$3.56 MYR 14.07

142.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 MX$197

$7.15 MYR 28.25

54.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 MX$49.22

$2.61 MYR 10.29

5.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$25.56

$1.16 MYR 4.59

23.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$33.52

$3.20 MYR 12.66

-41.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 MX$38.80

$1.90 MYR 7.51

14.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 MX$33.70

$1.20 MYR 4.73

56.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 MX$40.21

$1.27 MYR 5.01

77.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$19.11

$1.13 MYR 4.47

-5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.22

$0.51 MYR 2.00

109.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$74.4

$4.08 MYR 16.12

1.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MX$185

$18.66 MYR 73.7

-44.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 MX$30.06

$1.90 MYR 7.52

-11.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MX$44.46

$1.68 MYR 6.65

47.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$9.93

$0.68 MYR 2.69

-19.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.53 MX$475

$11.59 MYR 45.80

128.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MX$57.6

$1.20 MYR 4.75

168.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 MX$44.42

$1.04 MYR 4.09

138.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 MX$55.7

$5.80 MYR 22.90

-46.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$22.48

$0.50 MYR 1.96

152.00%

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

$30.7K MX$548.8K

$29.1K MYR 115.1K

5.25%

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

$24.0K MX$430.3K

$27.9K MYR 110.1K

-13.79%

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

$82.5 MX$1,476

$47.94 MYR 189

72.05%

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

$22.29 MX$399

$3.60 MYR 14.23

519.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.02 MX$537

$23.43 MYR 92.5

28.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MX$921

$36.62 MYR 145

40.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 MX$327

$5.72 MYR 22.59

219.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MX$89.2

$2.80 MYR 11.05

77.86%

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

$200 MX$3,580

$95.2 MYR 376

110.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,304 MX$94.9K

$4,471 MYR 17.7K

18.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.71 MX$639

$59.8 MYR 236

-40.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 MX$708

$22.91 MYR 90.5

72.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 MX$1,442

$69.8 MYR 276

15.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 MX$1,581

$94.3 MYR 373

-6.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 MX$17.4K

$394 MYR 1,557

145.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,632

$265 MYR 1,046

82.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 MX$28.6K

$651 MYR 2,571

145.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 MX$21.2K

$467 MYR 1,845

153.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$72.5K

$1,904 MYR 7,520

112.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$116.7K

$993 MYR 3,923

556.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.5K

$757 MYR 2,990

-0.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

280.67%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 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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