Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $526 a month against $934 in Sandakan, Sabah, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$934

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $934 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $526 in Delhi, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $934
Delhi $526

A couple spends around $1,397 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $882 in Delhi, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,397
Delhi $882

A family of three spends $1,860 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $1,239 in Delhi, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,860
Delhi $1,239

Sandakan, Sabah costs about 78% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sandakan, Sabah and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Sandakan, Sabah 31% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 MYR 15.28

$3.70 ₹352

1.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.24 MYR 78.5

$21.33 ₹2,026

-9.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 19.45

$3.69 ₹351

29.27%

Cappuccino

$2.83 MYR 11.53

$2.30 ₹218

23.04%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.23

$0.39 ₹36.82

102.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.63

$0.15 ₹14.05

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 MYR 15.39

$2.05 ₹195

83.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.27

$3.13 ₹297

43.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.44

$0.69 ₹65.9

163.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$0.58 ₹54.6

79.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.09

$0.78 ₹74.0

91.03%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.37

$1.15 ₹109

78.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 MYR 54.6

$4.28 ₹407

212.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.77

$3.52 ₹334

23.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MYR 39.54

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.39

$1.93 ₹184

69.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$0.79 ₹75.1

111.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 MYR 9.85

$1.01 ₹95.6

139.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$0.53 ₹50.0

188.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.35

$0.28 ₹26.21

367.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.82

$0.37 ₹35.46

218.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$0.44 ₹41.89

154.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.15

$0.31 ₹29.89

70.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$4.95 ₹470

-9.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.33 MYR 78.9

$8.57 ₹814

125.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$1.61 ₹152

87.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 MYR 18.55

$2.66 ₹253

71.05%

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

$6.40 ₹608

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$0.51 ₹48.63

41.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 MYR 50.7

$15.59 ₹1,481

-20.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.04 ₹98.4

14.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.05

$0.27 ₹25.79

85.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.51 MYR 30.63

$1.54 ₹146

387.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.28

$1.11 ₹106

-27.93%

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

$41.3K MYR 168.5K

$11.5K ₹1.1M

259.82%

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

$34.3K MYR 140.0K

$18.9K ₹1.8M

81.92%

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

$48.48 MYR 198

$42.45 ₹4,031

14.20%

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

$9.82 MYR 40.07

$4.20 ₹399

133.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.45 MYR 112

$6.89 ₹654

298.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.94 MYR 163

$20.09 ₹1,908

98.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.11 MYR 29.01

$7.89 ₹749

-9.89%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MYR 20.14

$5.31 ₹504

-6.97%

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

$190 MYR 776

$101 ₹9,571

88.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,001 MYR 28.6K

$2,315 ₹219.8K

202.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 MYR 231

$24.64 ₹2,340

129.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.71 MYR 142

$28.82 ₹2,737

20.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 333

$53.6 ₹5,088

52.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.7 MYR 309

$44.17 ₹4,194

71.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 MYR 1,644

$271 ₹25.8K

48.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 MYR 1,221

$157 ₹14.9K

90.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 MYR 2,779

$744 ₹70.6K

-8.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 MYR 1,994

$405 ₹38.4K

20.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,002 MYR 8,167

$2,574 ₹244.4K

-22.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,079 MYR 4,402

$1,003 ₹95.2K

7.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,220 MYR 4,976

$615 ₹58.4K

98.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

8.33

-51.26%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 17, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sandakan, Sabah

$299 32.1%

Delhi

$157 29.9% 47.6% $142

Groceries & Markets

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 27.6%

Delhi

$110 20.8% 57.5% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Sandakan, Sabah

$112 12%

Delhi

$68 12.9% 39.2% $44

Eating Out

Sandakan, Sabah

$111 11.9%

Delhi

$87 16.5% 21.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandakan, Sabah

$86 9.2%

Delhi

$54 10.2% 37.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sandakan, Sabah

$50 5.3%

Delhi

$31 5.8% 38.4% $19

Getting Around

Sandakan, Sabah

$19 2%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 5.5% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $403 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $271 in Delhi. 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 98% higher in Sandakan, Sabah, 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 $21.00 in Delhi. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Sandakan, Sabah vs $110 in Delhi – so Delhi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

05:50 5:50 AM

2 h 30 min behind Sandakan, Sabah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

439,050

16,787,941 Capital

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Delhi 4,990 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandakan, Sabah
Delhi

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 Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $934 in Sandakan, Sabah, $526 in Delhi – roughly 78% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,401 per month in Sandakan, Sabah and $789 in Delhi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Delhi, 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 $21.00 in Delhi. 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 $526 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 78%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $934 in Sandakan, Sabah and $526 in Delhi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Delhi – 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 Delhi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sandakan, Sabah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.