Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $934 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$934

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $934 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $934
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,397 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,397
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $1,860 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,860
Budapest $3,483

Sandakan, Sabah is about 43% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sandakan, Sabah sits 31% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 MYR 15.28

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-73.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.24 MYR 78.5

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-68.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 19.45

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-54.00%

Cappuccino

$2.83 MYR 11.53

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-18.21%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.23

$2.07 Ft 669

-61.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.63

$1.77 Ft 572

-77.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 MYR 15.39

$3.69 Ft 1,191

2.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.27

$3.80 Ft 1,229

17.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.44

$1.16 Ft 374

56.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$1.85 Ft 598

-43.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.09

$2.40 Ft 776

-37.92%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.37

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-48.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 MYR 54.6

$11.40 Ft 3,683

17.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.77

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-36.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MYR 39.54

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-33.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.39

$1.88 Ft 607

74.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$2.14 Ft 693

-21.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 MYR 9.85

$2.30 Ft 744

5.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-62.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.35

$1.02 Ft 329

28.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.82

$0.99 Ft 320

19.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$1.58 Ft 510

-29.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.15

$0.70 Ft 225

-24.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-43.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.33 MYR 78.9

$6.18 Ft 1,997

212.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$1.24 Ft 401

143.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 MYR 18.55

$2.06 Ft 666

120.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$1.59 Ft 513

-54.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 MYR 50.7

$27.52 Ft 8,893

-54.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-65.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.05

$1.33 Ft 431

-62.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.51 MYR 30.63

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-63.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.28

$1.93 Ft 624

-58.55%

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

$41.3K MYR 168.5K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

41.73%

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

$34.3K MYR 140.0K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-1.19%

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

$48.48 MYR 198

$175 Ft 56.4K

-72.23%

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

$9.82 MYR 40.07

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-58.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.45 MYR 112

$23.60 Ft 7,625

16.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.94 MYR 163

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-41.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.11 MYR 29.01

$19.26 Ft 6,224

-63.08%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MYR 20.14

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-52.09%

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

$190 MYR 776

$535 Ft 172.9K

-64.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,001 MYR 28.6K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-58.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 MYR 231

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-43.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.71 MYR 142

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-19.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 333

$112 Ft 36.1K

-26.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.7 MYR 309

$119 Ft 38.4K

-36.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 MYR 1,644

$832 Ft 268.8K

-51.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 MYR 1,221

$629 Ft 203.3K

-52.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 MYR 2,779

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-57.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 MYR 1,994

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-59.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,002 MYR 8,167

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-64.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,079 MYR 4,402

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-72.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,220 MYR 4,976

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

-28.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

6.45

-37.05%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 17, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sandakan, Sabah

$299 32.1%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 110% $330

Groceries & Markets

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 27.6%

Budapest

$262 16% 1.6% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Sandakan, Sabah

$112 12%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 50.3% $56

Eating Out

Sandakan, Sabah

$111 11.9%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 104% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandakan, Sabah

$86 9.2%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 159% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Sandakan, Sabah

$50 5.3%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 79.6% $40

Getting Around

Sandakan, Sabah

$19 2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 132% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $403 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $832 in Budapest. 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 40% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $262 – making Sandakan, Sabah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:35 3:35 AM

21:35 9:35 PM

6 h behind Sandakan, Sabah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

439,050

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sandakan, Sabah Budapest 10,200 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandakan, Sabah
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 76%, 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 $2,461 in Budapest. 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.

Public transport costs about 121% less in Sandakan, Sabah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $190 per month in Sandakan, Sabah and $535 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sandakan, Sabah, where all-in costs run around $934, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Sandakan, Sabah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest 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, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.