Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $968 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$968

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $968 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Sandakan, Sabah $968
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,470 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,470
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,971 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,971
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Sandakan, Sabah costs roughly 61% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sandakan, Sabah is 29% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 MYR 14.91

$17.59 €15.80

-79.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.26 MYR 78.7

$67.5 €60.6

-71.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 MYR 18.63

$13.53 €12.15

-66.30%

Cappuccino

$3.07 MYR 12.56

$3.19 €2.87

-3.76%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.98

$2.91 €2.62

-74.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 MYR 1.75

$1.89 €1.70

-77.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.35

$4.01 €3.60

5.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 MYR 16.06

$4.53 €4.07

-13.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MYR 8.13

$1.31 €1.17

51.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 MYR 4.81

$2.02 €1.81

-41.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.10

$1.85 €1.66

-19.46%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.16

$4.83 €4.34

-53.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.79 MYR 48.20

$16.74 €15.04

-29.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.00 MYR 16.36

$9.12 €8.19

-56.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 MYR 39.02

$19.64 €17.64

-51.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 MYR 11.59

$2.98 €2.68

-4.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.65

$2.02 €1.81

-19.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 MYR 10.34

$2.70 €2.43

-6.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 MYR 6.39

$2.80 €2.52

-44.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.68

$2.09 €1.87

-33.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.65

$2.07 €1.86

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 MYR 5.17

$1.46 €1.31

-13.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.94

$0.94 €0.84

-48.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 MYR 16.52

$6.87 €6.17

-41.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.89 MYR 89.5

$7.89 €7.09

177.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 MYR 12.77

$1.41 €1.26

121.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 MYR 17.51

$2.54 €2.28

68.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MYR 3.22

$3.14 €2.82

-74.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.67 MYR 43.60

$25.45 €22.86

-58.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 MYR 5.41

$2.99 €2.69

-55.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 MYR 2.58

$1.49 €1.34

-57.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.09 MYR 33.08

$33.37 €29.99

-75.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.33

$1.80 €1.62

-54.44%

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

$46.8K MYR 191.1K

$33.2K €29.8K

40.85%

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

$39.7K MYR 162.1K

$31.7K €28.5K

25.15%

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

$48.86 MYR 200

$180 €162

-72.92%

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

$10.09 MYR 41.24

$13.84 €12.43

-27.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.65 MYR 117

$33.70 €30.28

-14.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.98 MYR 151

$51.5 €46.28

-28.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.38 MYR 30.16

$15.96 €14.34

-53.76%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 MYR 20.77

$10.99 €9.88

-53.78%

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

$242 MYR 990

$917 €824

-73.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,062 MYR 28.9K

$16.5K €14.8K

-57.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 MYR 258

$87.0 €78.2

-27.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.35 MYR 124

$38.51 €34.60

-21.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 MYR 374

$106 €95.1

-13.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 MYR 316

$120 €108

-35.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$379 MYR 1,549

$1,699 €1,527

-77.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 MYR 1,331

$1,355 €1,218

-75.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 MYR 2,577

$2,603 €2,339

-75.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 MYR 2,406

$2,062 €1,853

-71.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,010 MYR 8,215

$6,915 €6,213

-70.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 MYR 4,696

$5,128 €4,607

-77.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,210 MYR 4,946

$2,211 €1,986

-45.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

3.28

23.78%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sandakan, Sabah

$326 33.6%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 316% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 26.7%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 24.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Sandakan, Sabah

$118 12.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 33.9% $40

Eating Out

Sandakan, Sabah

$113 11.7%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 136% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandakan, Sabah

$88 9.1%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 160% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Sandakan, Sabah

$47 4.9%

Barcelona

$74 3% 55.9% $26

Getting Around

Sandakan, Sabah

$18 1.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 165% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $379 in Sandakan, Sabah and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 83% 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 in Sandakan, Sabah vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $322 per month, with Sandakan, Sabah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

13:00 1:00 PM

7 h behind Sandakan, Sabah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

439,050

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sandakan, Sabah Barcelona 11,680 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandakan, Sabah
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sandakan, Sabah and Barcelona differ by about 153% in total monthly costs ($968 vs $2,453 including rent). Sandakan, Sabah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Sandakan, Sabah. 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: $379 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $242 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $968 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sandakan, Sabah but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. 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, Sandakan, Sabah and Barcelona 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 Sandakan, Sabah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.