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 16.4% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 21.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sandakan, Sabah is 10.7% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 17.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.31 MYR 9.73

$4.58 MYR 19.31

-49.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.93 MYR 79.8

$28.83 MYR 122

-34.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 20.43

$4.77 MYR 20.13

1.68%

Cappuccino

$2.71 MYR 11.41

$2.96 MYR 12.48

-8.45%

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

$0.66 MYR 2.78

$0.85 MYR 3.58

-22.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.96

$0.5 MYR 2.11

-54.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MYR 9.9

$4.23 MYR 17.82

-44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 MYR 14.98

$5.95 MYR 25.11

-40.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 7.02

$2.08 MYR 8.78

-20.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 MYR 5.1

$1 MYR 4.22

21.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.87

$1.64 MYR 6.92

-29.27%

Eggs

$2.85 MYR 12.01

$2.29 MYR 9.64

24.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 63.1

$14.84 MYR 62.6

0.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.56 MYR 15.01

$4.52 MYR 19.05

-21.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 MYR 30.3

$9.51 MYR 40.1

-24.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MYR 11.18

$2.95 MYR 12.46

-10.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 MYR 4.93

$1.62 MYR 6.85

-27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 MYR 13.32

$2.7 MYR 11.37

17.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 MYR 8.21

$1.51 MYR 6.38

29.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.17

$1.21 MYR 5.11

1.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.36

$1.4 MYR 5.92

-9.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MYR 4.54

$1.21 MYR 5.09

-10.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.97

$0.68 MYR 2.87

-30.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.71

$4.19 MYR 17.68

0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.92 MYR 79.8

$18.11 MYR 76.4

4.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MYR 8.14

$3.33 MYR 14.06

-42.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 MYR 6.79

$4.39 MYR 18.5

-63.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 3.13

$0.72 MYR 3.06

2.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.71 MYR 49.36

$11.74 MYR 49.49

-0.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 MYR 4.92

$1.21 MYR 5.11

-3.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 MYR 4.14

$1.13 MYR 4.78

-13.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 MYR 24.27

$4.59 MYR 19.35

25.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.93

$0.48 MYR 2.01

-4.17%

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

$29.3K MYR 123.7K

$40K MYR 168.8K

-26.71%

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

$27.2K MYR 114.6K

$33K MYR 139.2K

-17.67%

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

$46.98 MYR 198

$64.8 MYR 273

-27.49%

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

$3.64 MYR 15.33

$11.7 MYR 49.34

-68.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.77 MYR 100

$25.5 MYR 108

-6.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.2 MYR 153

$45.93 MYR 194

-21.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 MYR 24.4

$7.76 MYR 32.73

-25.39%

Cinema Ticket

$2.75 MYR 11.6

$5.23 MYR 22.03

-47.42%

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

$95.7 MYR 403

$266 MYR 1,122

-64.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,548 MYR 19.2K

$9,267 MYR 39.1K

-50.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 MYR 247

$61.5 MYR 259

-4.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.19 MYR 97.8

$38.04 MYR 160

-39.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71 MYR 300

$86.3 MYR 364

-17.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 MYR 390

$79.6 MYR 336

16.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 MYR 1,654

$578 MYR 2,437

-32.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MYR 1,120

$371 MYR 1,566

-28.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 MYR 2,714

$1,061 MYR 4,472

-39.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 MYR 1,986

$628 MYR 2,649

-25.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,722 MYR 7,261

$3,071 MYR 12.9K

-43.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,151 MYR 4,852

$1,532 MYR 6,459

-24.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 MYR 2,965

$1,342 MYR 5,659

-47.60%

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: October 29, 2025

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 28, 2025

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