Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Bangalore

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $557 a month against $934 in Sandakan, Sabah, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sandakan, Sabah
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Sandakan, Sabah Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
Learn more

Bangalore Living Index

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Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$934

/mo nomad

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Bangalore actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $557 in Bangalore.

Sandakan, Sabah $934
Bangalore $557

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,397 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $941 in Bangalore.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,397
Bangalore $941

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,860 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,324 in Bangalore.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,860
Bangalore $1,324

Living in Sandakan, Sabah is roughly 68% more expensive than in Bangalore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sandakan, Sabah 31% lower, Bangalore 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 MYR 15.28

$3.13 ₹297

19.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.24 MYR 78.5

$17.66 ₹1,677

8.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 19.45

$4.66 ₹443

2.36%

Cappuccino

$2.83 MYR 11.53

$2.28 ₹217

24.12%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.23

$0.40 ₹37.91

97.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.63

$0.14 ₹13.62

185.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 MYR 15.39

$2.27 ₹216

66.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.27

$3.60 ₹342

24.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.44

$0.66 ₹62.4

175.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$0.59 ₹55.8

76.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.09

$0.81 ₹76.5

83.95%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.37

$1.14 ₹109

79.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 MYR 54.6

$6.19 ₹588

116.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.77

$3.75 ₹356

16.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MYR 39.54

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.39

$2.86 ₹272

14.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$0.73 ₹69.3

128.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 MYR 9.85

$1.20 ₹114

101.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$0.42 ₹39.54

264.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.35

$0.39 ₹36.59

235.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.82

$0.40 ₹37.84

195.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$0.40 ₹37.56

180.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.15

$0.30 ₹28.09

76.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$4.66 ₹442

-3.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.33 MYR 78.9

$9.48 ₹900

103.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$1.97 ₹187

53.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 MYR 18.55

$2.98 ₹283

52.68%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.59 ₹626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$0.51 ₹48.66

41.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 MYR 50.7

$15.69 ₹1,490

-20.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.06 ₹101

12.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.05

$0.30 ₹28.52

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.51 MYR 30.63

$2.16 ₹205

247.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.28

$1.15 ₹109

-30.43%

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

$41.3K MYR 168.5K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

265.32%

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

$34.3K MYR 140.0K

$18.8K ₹1.8M

82.44%

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

$48.48 MYR 198

$30.35 ₹2,882

59.74%

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

$9.82 MYR 40.07

$4.11 ₹390

138.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.45 MYR 112

$10.45 ₹992

162.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.94 MYR 163

$18.89 ₹1,794

111.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.11 MYR 29.01

$6.10 ₹579

16.56%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MYR 20.14

$4.86 ₹461

1.65%

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

$190 MYR 776

$102 ₹9,687

86.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,001 MYR 28.6K

$2,978 ₹282.8K

135.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 MYR 231

$33.83 ₹3,212

67.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.71 MYR 142

$30.70 ₹2,915

13.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 333

$56.3 ₹5,343

45.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.7 MYR 309

$40.05 ₹3,803

88.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 MYR 1,644

$309 ₹29.4K

30.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 MYR 1,221

$179 ₹17.0K

67.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 MYR 2,779

$799 ₹75.9K

-14.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 MYR 1,994

$481 ₹45.6K

1.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,002 MYR 8,167

$1,928 ₹183.0K

3.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,079 MYR 4,402

$1,076 ₹102.2K

0.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,220 MYR 4,976

$943 ₹89.6K

29.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

8.47

-52.07%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 17, 2026

Last update for Bangalore: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sandakan, Sabah

$299 32.1%

Bangalore

$179 32.1% 40.3% $121

Groceries & Markets

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 27.6%

Bangalore

$125 22.4% 51.5% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Sandakan, Sabah

$112 12%

Bangalore

$72 13% 35.3% $40

Eating Out

Sandakan, Sabah

$111 11.9%

Bangalore

$87 15.6% 21.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandakan, Sabah

$86 9.2%

Bangalore

$45 8.1% 47.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Sandakan, Sabah

$50 5.3%

Bangalore

$29 5.1% 42.6% $21

Getting Around

Sandakan, Sabah

$19 2%

Bangalore

$20 3.6% 6.9% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $403 in Sandakan, Sabah and $309 in Bangalore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandakan, Sabah pays 29% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Sandakan, Sabah vs $18.00 in Bangalore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $125 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

00:25 12:25 AM

2 h 30 min behind Sandakan, Sabah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

439,050

8,495,492

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sandakan, Sabah Bangalore 4,510 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandakan, Sabah
Bangalore

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 Bangalore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 68% lower than in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bangalore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Sandakan, Sabah, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $403 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $309 in Bangalore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 26% less than in Sandakan, Sabah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $190 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $102 in Bangalore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Bangalore gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bangalore delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $557 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bangalore hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sandakan, Sabah and Bangalore are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bangalore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Sandakan, Sabah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.