Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $483 a month against $934 in Sandakan, Sabah, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$934

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $483 in Karachi.

Sandakan, Sabah $934
Karachi $483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,397 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $754 in Karachi.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,397
Karachi $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,860 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,025 in Karachi.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,860
Karachi $1,025

Living in Sandakan, Sabah is roughly 93% more expensive than in Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sandakan, Sabah 31% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 MYR 15.28

$2.11 PKR 585

77.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.24 MYR 78.5

$13.73 PKR 3,801

40.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 19.45

$5.53 PKR 1,531

-13.74%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 PKR 609

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 PKR 2,040

Cappuccino

$2.83 MYR 11.53

$2.14 PKR 593

32.24%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.23

$0.40 PKR 111

97.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.63

$0.28 PKR 77.7

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 MYR 15.39

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.27

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.44

$0.90 PKR 250

102.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$0.55 PKR 153

89.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.09

$1.20 PKR 333

24.17%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.37

$1.25 PKR 346

64.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 MYR 54.6

$5.96 PKR 1,650

124.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.77

$3.19 PKR 883

36.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MYR 39.54

$6.48 PKR 1,793

49.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.39

$1.24 PKR 344

164.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$0.53 PKR 147

215.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 MYR 9.85

$1.03 PKR 284

134.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$0.51 PKR 142

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.35

$0.31 PKR 85.1

322.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.82

$0.31 PKR 87.1

280.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$0.41 PKR 113

173.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.15

$0.44 PKR 120

20.45%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.31 PKR 362

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 369

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$1.83 PKR 508

145.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.33 MYR 78.9

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.30

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 MYR 18.55

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$0.28 PKR 76.8

157.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 MYR 50.7

$9.81 PKR 2,716

26.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$0.87 PKR 240

36.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.05

$0.74 PKR 204

-32.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.51 MYR 30.63

$2.23 PKR 617

236.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.28

$1.38 PKR 383

-42.03%

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

$41.3K MYR 168.5K

$18.4K PKR 5.1M

125.03%

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

$34.3K MYR 140.0K

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

29.76%

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

$48.48 MYR 198

$113 PKR 31.4K

-57.20%

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

$9.82 MYR 40.07

$6.12 PKR 1,694

60.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.45 MYR 112

$13.11 PKR 3,628

109.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.94 MYR 163

$21.78 PKR 6,029

83.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.11 MYR 29.01

$18.27 PKR 5,058

-61.08%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MYR 20.14

$4.26 PKR 1,179

15.96%

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

$190 MYR 776

$52.1 PKR 14.4K

265.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,001 MYR 28.6K

$1,941 PKR 537.3K

260.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 MYR 231

$17.53 PKR 4,852

223.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.71 MYR 142

$22.88 PKR 6,332

51.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 333

$68.1 PKR 18.8K

19.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.7 MYR 309

$41.55 PKR 11.5K

82.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 MYR 1,644

$118 PKR 32.5K

242.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 MYR 1,221

$73.2 PKR 20.3K

309.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 MYR 2,779

$360 PKR 99.6K

89.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 MYR 1,994

$188 PKR 52.1K

159.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,002 MYR 8,167

$1,082 PKR 299.4K

85.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,079 MYR 4,402

$474 PKR 131.2K

127.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,220 MYR 4,976

$182 PKR 50.4K

569.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

13.21

-69.27%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 17, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sandakan, Sabah

$299 32.1%

Karachi

$73 15.2% 75.6% $226

Groceries & Markets

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 27.6%

Karachi

$102 21.1% 60.4% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Sandakan, Sabah

$112 12%

Karachi

$68 14% 39.7% $44

Eating Out

Sandakan, Sabah

$111 11.9%

Karachi

$62 12.8% 44.1% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandakan, Sabah

$86 9.2%

Karachi

$133 27.4% 54.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Sandakan, Sabah

$50 5.3%

Karachi

$30 6.3% 39.2% $20

Getting Around

Sandakan, Sabah

$19 2%

Karachi

$15 3.2% 18.5% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $403 in Sandakan, Sabah and $118 in Karachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandakan, Sabah pays 570% 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 $14.00 in Karachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $102 per month, with Karachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

02:14 2:14 AM

3 h behind Sandakan, Sabah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

439,050

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sandakan, Sabah Karachi 5,830 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandakan, Sabah
Karachi

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 Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sandakan, Sabah and Karachi differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($934 vs $483 including rent). Karachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 570% 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 $118 in Karachi. 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 $483 in Karachi – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karachi runs roughly 27% less than in Sandakan, Sabah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Karachi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Karachi 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 Karachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Sandakan, Sabah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.