Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Kuala Lumpur

🙂 Solo nomad: Sandakan, Sabah is 19.4% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 22.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sandakan, Sabah is 26.2% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 19.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.42 MYR 9.81

$4.83 MYR 19.60

-49.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.94 MYR 76.9

$28.81 MYR 117

-34.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.59 MYR 18.65

$4.63 MYR 18.81

-0.86%

Cappuccino

$2.64 MYR 10.73

$3.07 MYR 12.46

-14.01%

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

$0.65 MYR 2.65

$0.87 MYR 3.53

-25.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 MYR 1.02

$0.52 MYR 2.11

-51.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MYR 9.78

$4.21 MYR 17.09

-42.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 MYR 14.45

$5.80 MYR 23.56

-38.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MYR 6.82

$2.00 MYR 8.12

-16.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 MYR 5.05

$1.00 MYR 4.07

24.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.90

$1.67 MYR 6.77

-27.54%

Eggs

$2.75 MYR 11.16

$2.27 MYR 9.20

21.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.29 MYR 62.1

$14.87 MYR 60.4

2.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 MYR 14.57

$4.51 MYR 18.32

-20.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 MYR 29.19

$9.85 MYR 39.99

-27.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 MYR 10.29

$2.87 MYR 11.64

-11.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.71

$1.59 MYR 6.45

-27.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.86

$2.58 MYR 10.49

22.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 MYR 7.79

$1.46 MYR 5.91

31.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.23 MYR 5.01

-3.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.32

$1.35 MYR 5.46

-2.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.41

$1.16 MYR 4.71

-6.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$0.67 MYR 2.71

-23.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MYR 16.85

$4.17 MYR 16.92

-0.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.00 MYR 73.1

$18.47 MYR 75.0

-2.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MYR 7.72

$3.41 MYR 13.84

-44.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 MYR 6.87

$4.28 MYR 17.39

-60.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MYR 2.75

$0.72 MYR 2.94

-5.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.80 MYR 47.90

$11.94 MYR 48.47

-1.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 MYR 4.72

$1.21 MYR 4.93

-4.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 MYR 4.00

$1.11 MYR 4.50

-11.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.99 MYR 24.33

$4.79 MYR 19.43

25.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.87

$0.48 MYR 1.95

-4.17%

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

$29.6K MYR 120.0K

$40.7K MYR 165.3K

-27.40%

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

$27.2K MYR 110.5K

$32.0K MYR 129.7K

-14.87%

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

$46.59 MYR 189

$64.5 MYR 262

-27.78%

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

$3.64 MYR 14.78

$11.58 MYR 47.01

-68.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.74 MYR 96.4

$25.61 MYR 104

-7.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.54 MYR 148

$46.05 MYR 187

-20.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.77 MYR 23.41

$8.01 MYR 32.52

-27.97%

Cinema Ticket

$2.88 MYR 11.70

$5.35 MYR 21.70

-46.17%

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

$95.3 MYR 387

$266 MYR 1,080

-64.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,547 MYR 18.5K

$9,472 MYR 38.5K

-51.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 MYR 240

$61.3 MYR 249

-3.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.74 MYR 92.3

$36.95 MYR 150

-38.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 MYR 289

$86.8 MYR 353

-18.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 MYR 380

$80.0 MYR 325

17.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 MYR 1,560

$578 MYR 2,346

-33.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 MYR 1,114

$365 MYR 1,482

-24.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,657

$1,055 MYR 4,284

-37.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$468 MYR 1,899

$646 MYR 2,623

-27.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,451 MYR 5,893

$3,619 MYR 14.7K

-59.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$903 MYR 3,667

$1,550 MYR 6,294

-41.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$752 MYR 3,052

$1,500 MYR 6,090

-49.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

-32.89%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: January 10, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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