Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $934 a month against $1,363 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sandakan, Sabah
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Sandakan, Sabah Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$934

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sandakan, Sabah and in Almaty

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sandakan, Sabah and in Almaty actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $934 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $1,363 in Almaty, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $934
Almaty $1,363

A couple spends around $1,397 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $2,131 in Almaty, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,397
Almaty $2,131

A family of three spends $1,860 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $2,900 in Almaty, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,860
Almaty $2,900

Sandakan, Sabah is about 31% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sandakan, Sabah sits 31% below the global median, while Almaty is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 MYR 15.28

$13.05 ₸5,899

-71.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.24 MYR 78.5

$43.44 ₸19.6K

-55.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 19.45

$8.76 ₸3,962

-45.55%

Cappuccino

$2.83 MYR 11.53

$3.32 ₸1,501

-14.76%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.23

$1.34 ₸607

-41.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.63

$0.83 ₸374

-51.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 MYR 15.39

$3.36 ₸1,518

12.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.27

$4.02 ₸1,818

11.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.44

$1.65 ₸747

10.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$0.93 ₸421

11.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.09

$2.05 ₸927

-27.32%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.37

$2.46 ₸1,113

-16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 MYR 54.6

$12.49 ₸5,646

7.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.77

$6.71 ₸3,035

-35.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MYR 39.54

$10.85 ₸4,905

-10.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.39

$1.78 ₸807

84.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$2.25 ₸1,018

-25.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 MYR 9.85

$2.87 ₸1,299

-15.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$2.71 ₸1,227

-43.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.35

$0.80 ₸362

63.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.82

$0.55 ₸249

114.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$1.62 ₸732

-30.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.15

$1.00 ₸453

-47.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$2.58 ₸1,167

74.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.33 MYR 78.9

$11.15 ₸5,039

73.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$1.26 ₸572

139.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 MYR 18.55

$2.48 ₸1,120

83.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$0.28 ₸128

157.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 MYR 50.7

$22.05 ₸9,970

-43.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.34 ₸607

-11.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.05

$0.64 ₸288

-21.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.51 MYR 30.63

$11.04 ₸4,993

-31.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.28

$0.72 ₸326

11.11%

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

$41.3K MYR 168.5K

$28.1K ₸12.7M

46.74%

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

$34.3K MYR 140.0K

$31.8K ₸14.4M

7.89%

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

$48.48 MYR 198

$90.5 ₸40.9K

-46.44%

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

$9.82 MYR 40.07

$10.63 ₸4,805

-7.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.45 MYR 112

$18.12 ₸8,190

51.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.94 MYR 163

$69.0 ₸31.2K

-42.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.11 MYR 29.01

$26.98 ₸12.2K

-73.65%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MYR 20.14

$6.77 ₸3,062

-27.03%

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

$190 MYR 776

$444 ₸200.6K

-57.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,001 MYR 28.6K

$12.0K ₸5.4M

-41.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 MYR 231

$91.9 ₸41.5K

-38.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.71 MYR 142

$47.80 ₸21.6K

-27.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 333

$139 ₸63.0K

-41.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.7 MYR 309

$131 ₸59.4K

-42.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 MYR 1,644

$777 ₸351.2K

-48.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 MYR 1,221

$494 ₸223.4K

-39.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 MYR 2,779

$1,439 ₸650.4K

-52.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 MYR 1,994

$905 ₸409.2K

-45.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,002 MYR 8,167

$2,470 ₸1.1M

-18.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,079 MYR 4,402

$1,517 ₸685.7K

-28.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,220 MYR 4,976

$857 ₸387.2K

42.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

20.65

-80.34%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 17, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Sandakan, Sabah

$299 32.1%

Almaty

$494 36.3% 65% $195

Groceries & Markets

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 27.6%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 2.7% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Sandakan, Sabah

$112 12%

Almaty

$185 13.6% 65% $73

Eating Out

Sandakan, Sabah

$111 11.9%

Almaty

$204 15% 84.2% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandakan, Sabah

$86 9.2%

Almaty

$119 8.8% 39.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sandakan, Sabah

$50 5.3%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 65.7% $33

Getting Around

Sandakan, Sabah

$19 2%

Almaty

$28 2% 45.9% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $403 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $777 in Almaty. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 42% higher in Sandakan, Sabah, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $43.00 in Almaty. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Sandakan, Sabah vs $251 in Almaty – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

22:00 10:00 PM

2 h behind Sandakan, Sabah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

439,050

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sandakan, Sabah Almaty 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandakan, Sabah
Almaty

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

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

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,401 per month in Sandakan, Sabah and $2,044 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Sandakan, Sabah and $43.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $934 in Sandakan, Sabah and $1,363 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 46%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sandakan, Sabah, where all-in costs run around $934, than in Almaty at $1,363. In Sandakan, Sabah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sandakan, Sabah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sandakan, Sabah. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Almaty makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.