Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Chiang Mai

🙂 Solo nomad: Sandakan, Sabah is 3.9% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 3.5% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sandakan, Sabah is 3.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 5.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.31 MYR 9.73

$2.02 ฿65.3

14.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.93 MYR 79.8

$18.78 ฿608

0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 20.43

$7.67 ฿248

-36.77%

Cappuccino

$2.71 MYR 11.41

$1.98 ฿64.2

36.87%

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

$0.66 MYR 2.78

$0.82 ฿26.64

-19.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.96

$0.33 ฿10.58

-30.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MYR 9.9

$2.12 ฿68.6

10.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 MYR 14.98

$3.73 ฿121

-4.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 7.02

$1.64 ฿53.2

1.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 MYR 5.1

$1.57 ฿50.9

-22.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.87

$1.19 ฿38.62

-2.52%

Eggs

$2.85 MYR 12.01

$1.98 ฿64.1

43.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 63.1

$15.99 ฿517

-6.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.56 MYR 15.01

$3.12 ฿101

14.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 MYR 30.3

$11.16 ฿361

-35.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MYR 11.18

$2.76 ฿89.2

-3.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 MYR 4.93

$1.22 ฿39.5

-4.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 MYR 13.32

$1.71 ฿55.4

84.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 MYR 8.21

$1.55 ฿50.2

25.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.17

$1.34 ฿43.21

-8.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.36

$1.21 ฿39.23

4.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MYR 4.54

$0.72 ฿23.2

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.97

$0.53 ฿17.05

-11.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.71

$4.72 ฿153

-11.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.92 MYR 79.8

$18.39 ฿595

2.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MYR 8.14

$1.79 ฿57.9

7.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 MYR 6.79

$3.21 ฿104

-49.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 3.13

$0.94 ฿30.44

-21.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.71 MYR 49.36

$18.9 ฿612

-38.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 MYR 4.92

$1.42 ฿46.08

-17.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 MYR 4.14

$1.35 ฿43.53

-27.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 MYR 24.27

$7.85 ฿254

-26.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.93

$1.25 ฿40.4

-63.20%

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

$29.3K MYR 123.7K

$21.2K ฿684.9K

38.64%

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

$27.2K MYR 114.6K

$21.8K ฿706.8K

24.38%

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

$46.98 MYR 198

$70.6 ฿2,285

-33.47%

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

$3.64 MYR 15.33

$13.72 ฿444

-73.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.77 MYR 100

$17.56 ฿568

35.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.2 MYR 153

$41.64 ฿1,347

-13.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 MYR 24.4

$6.9 ฿223

-16.09%

Cinema Ticket

$2.75 MYR 11.6

$5.8 ฿188

-52.59%

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

$95.7 MYR 403

$308 ฿9,963

-68.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,548 MYR 19.2K

$14.7K ฿475.8K

-69.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 MYR 247

$55.4 ฿1,793

5.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.19 MYR 97.8

$26.4 ฿854

-12.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71 MYR 300

$85.1 ฿2,755

-16.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 MYR 390

$71.8 ฿2,323

28.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 MYR 1,654

$434 ฿14K

-9.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MYR 1,120

$235 ฿7,610

12.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 MYR 2,714

$821 ฿26.6K

-21.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 MYR 1,986

$498 ฿16.1K

-5.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,722 MYR 7,261

$2,180 ฿70.6K

-21.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,151 MYR 4,852

$1,543 ฿49.9K

-25.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 MYR 2,965

$703 ฿22.8K

-0.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

-40.00%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 29, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

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