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 56.7% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 49.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 15.8% more expensive than Sandakan, Sabah without rent, and 74% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.99 MX$227

$2.31 MYR 9.73

419.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.47 MX$803

$18.93 MYR 79.8

124.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 MX$198

$4.85 MYR 20.43

115.88%

Cappuccino

$3.6 MX$68.2

$2.71 MYR 11.41

32.84%

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

$1.44 MX$27.16

$0.66 MYR 2.78

118.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 MX$16.79

$0.23 MYR 0.96

286.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$58.5

$2.35 MYR 9.9

31.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 MX$86.6

$3.55 MYR 14.98

29.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$26.04

$1.66 MYR 7.02

-16.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$34.9

$1.21 MYR 5.1

52.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.68

$1.16 MYR 4.87

35.34%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$48.3

$2.85 MYR 12.01

-10.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 MX$163

$14.97 MYR 63.1

-42.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.54 MX$161

$3.56 MYR 15.01

139.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.98 MX$208

$7.19 MYR 30.3

52.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$51.4

$2.65 MYR 11.18

2.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$28.57

$1.17 MYR 4.93

29.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 MX$35.63

$3.16 MYR 13.32

-40.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$41.42

$1.95 MYR 8.21

12.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 MX$35.3

$1.23 MYR 5.17

52.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 MX$41.37

$1.27 MYR 5.36

72.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$20.23

$1.08 MYR 4.54

-0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.64

$0.47 MYR 1.97

131.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 MX$74.9

$4.2 MYR 17.71

-5.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.86 MX$167

$18.92 MYR 79.8

-53.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MX$32.53

$1.93 MYR 8.14

-10.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$49.37

$1.61 MYR 6.79

62.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.74

$0.74 MYR 3.13

-29.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.59 MX$503

$11.71 MYR 49.36

127.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 MX$61.2

$1.17 MYR 4.92

176.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 MX$44.94

$0.98 MYR 4.14

142.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 MX$58.7

$5.75 MYR 24.27

-45.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$24.85

$0.46 MYR 1.93

184.78%

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

$30.3K MX$573K

$29.3K MYR 123.7K

3.30%

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

$24K MX$453.6K

$27.2K MYR 114.6K

-11.68%

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

$84.2 MX$1,592

$46.98 MYR 198

79.31%

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

$22.14 MX$419

$3.64 MYR 15.33

508.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.14 MX$570

$23.77 MYR 100

26.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52 MX$983

$36.2 MYR 153

43.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.72 MX$354

$5.79 MYR 24.4

223.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 MX$95.9

$2.75 MYR 11.6

84.36%

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

$200 MX$3,787

$95.7 MYR 403

109.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,333 MX$100.8K

$4,548 MYR 19.2K

17.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.74 MX$676

$58.5 MYR 247

-38.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.8 MX$753

$23.19 MYR 97.8

71.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79 MX$1,493

$71 MYR 300

11.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,671

$92.5 MYR 390

-4.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$965 MX$18.3K

$392 MYR 1,654

146.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 MX$8,968

$265 MYR 1,120

78.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 MX$31.2K

$644 MYR 2,714

156.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,202 MX$22.7K

$471 MYR 1,986

155.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,081 MX$58.3K

$1,722 MYR 7,261

78.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,529 MX$142.3K

$1,151 MYR 4,852

554.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$792 MX$15K

$703 MYR 2,965

12.61%

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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 29, 2025

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