Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $862 a month against $934 in Sandakan, Sabah, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. The total is higher in Sandakan, Sabah despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sandakan, Sabah
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Sandakan, Sabah Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

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Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$934

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sandakan, Sabah and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Sandakan, Sabah $934
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,397 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Sandakan, Sabah $1,397
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,860 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Sandakan, Sabah $1,860
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958

Living in Sandakan, Sabah is roughly 8% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sandakan, Sabah 31% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 MYR 15.28

$1.98 ₫51.3K

89.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.24 MYR 78.5

$23.14 ₫599.0K

-16.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 19.45

$4.76 ₫123.2K

0.21%

Cappuccino

$2.83 MYR 11.53

$1.86 ₫48.1K

52.15%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.23

$0.51 ₫13.3K

54.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.63

$0.32 ₫8,191

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 MYR 15.39

$1.03 ₫26.7K

266.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.27

$1.71 ₫44.4K

161.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.44

$1.58 ₫40.8K

15.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$1.09 ₫28.3K

-4.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.09

$1.05 ₫27.2K

41.90%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.37

$1.64 ₫42.6K

25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 MYR 54.6

$12.33 ₫319.2K

8.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.77

$3.58 ₫92.6K

21.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MYR 39.54

$10.56 ₫273.3K

-8.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.39

$2.97 ₫76.9K

10.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$1.26 ₫32.7K

32.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 MYR 9.85

$1.62 ₫42.0K

49.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$1.31 ₫33.8K

16.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.35

$1.19 ₫30.8K

10.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.82

$1.14 ₫29.6K

3.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$0.73 ₫18.8K

53.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.15

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$1.28 ₫33.0K

251.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.33 MYR 78.9

$12.46 ₫322.5K

55.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$0.96 ₫24.9K

214.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 MYR 18.55

$1.48 ₫38.3K

207.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$0.26 ₫6,704

176.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 MYR 50.7

$11.43 ₫296.0K

8.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$0.68 ₫17.7K

75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.05

$0.62 ₫16.1K

-19.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.51 MYR 30.63

$3.00 ₫77.7K

150.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.28

$0.91 ₫23.5K

-12.09%

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

$41.3K MYR 168.5K

$30.6K ₫791.4M

35.10%

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

$34.3K MYR 140.0K

$29.4K ₫760.1M

16.87%

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

$48.48 MYR 198

$104 ₫2.7M

-53.28%

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

$9.82 MYR 40.07

$5.79 ₫149.9K

69.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.45 MYR 112

$10.48 ₫271.3K

161.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.94 MYR 163

$26.08 ₫675.1K

53.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.11 MYR 29.01

$11.90 ₫308.1K

-40.25%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MYR 20.14

$3.89 ₫100.7K

26.99%

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

$190 MYR 776

$440 ₫11.4M

-56.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,001 MYR 28.6K

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-70.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 MYR 231

$50.9 ₫1.3M

11.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.71 MYR 142

$35.18 ₫910.8K

-1.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 333

$92.1 ₫2.4M

-11.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.7 MYR 309

$96.5 ₫2.5M

-21.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 MYR 1,644

$582 ₫15.1M

-30.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 MYR 1,221

$297 ₫7.7M

0.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 MYR 2,779

$1,298 ₫33.6M

-47.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 MYR 1,994

$727 ₫18.8M

-32.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,002 MYR 8,167

$4,782 ₫123.8M

-58.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,079 MYR 4,402

$1,853 ₫48.0M

-41.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,220 MYR 4,976

$490 ₫12.7M

148.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

8.64

-53.01%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sandakan, Sabah

$299 32.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4% 0.9% $2.8

Groceries & Markets

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 27.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1% 19.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Sandakan, Sabah

$112 12%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3% 10.5% $12

Eating Out

Sandakan, Sabah

$111 11.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5% 41.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandakan, Sabah

$86 9.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9% 40% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sandakan, Sabah

$50 5.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9% 32% $16

Getting Around

Sandakan, Sabah

$19 2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 14.4% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $403 in Sandakan, Sabah and $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandakan, Sabah pays 149% 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 $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $208, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

05:59 5:59 AM

1 h behind Sandakan, Sabah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

439,050

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, 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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sandakan, Sabah Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sandakan, Sabah
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 149% 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 $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Sandakan, Sabah versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 9% less than in Sandakan, Sabah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $934 in Sandakan, Sabah, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Sandakan, Sabah. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $862 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sandakan, Sabah and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Sandakan, Sabah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.