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 11.8% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 18.9% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sandakan, Sabah is 22.1% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 20.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.32 MYR 9.13

$4.57 MYR 18.00

-49.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.10 MYR 75.2

$28.75 MYR 113

-33.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 MYR 18.86

$4.61 MYR 18.17

3.90%

Cappuccino

$2.64 MYR 10.42

$3.11 MYR 12.26

-15.11%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.72

$0.92 MYR 3.61

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 MYR 0.99

$0.52 MYR 2.07

-51.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MYR 9.40

$4.15 MYR 16.35

-42.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 MYR 14.19

$5.78 MYR 22.78

-37.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 MYR 6.80

$1.99 MYR 7.84

-13.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.71

$1.00 MYR 3.94

19.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 MYR 4.53

$1.73 MYR 6.81

-33.53%

Eggs

$2.77 MYR 10.93

$2.17 MYR 8.55

27.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.29 MYR 60.3

$14.84 MYR 58.5

3.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.56 MYR 14.04

$4.56 MYR 17.98

-21.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.15 MYR 28.18

$9.95 MYR 39.20

-28.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MYR 10.26

$2.95 MYR 11.61

-11.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.58

$1.63 MYR 6.42

-28.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MYR 12.62

$2.59 MYR 10.22

23.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 MYR 7.49

$1.53 MYR 6.04

24.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.72

$1.24 MYR 4.87

-3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.00

$1.40 MYR 5.50

-9.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.46

$1.15 MYR 4.55

-1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.00

$0.62 MYR 2.44

-17.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.08 MYR 16.08

$4.13 MYR 16.28

-1.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.66 MYR 73.5

$18.75 MYR 73.9

-0.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MYR 7.50

$3.26 MYR 12.84

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 MYR 6.64

$4.38 MYR 17.26

-61.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$0.74 MYR 2.93

-8.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.59 MYR 45.68

$11.98 MYR 47.19

-3.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.74

$1.19 MYR 4.70

0.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 MYR 4.08

$1.11 MYR 4.36

-6.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.80 MYR 22.84

$4.70 MYR 18.51

23.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 1.96

$0.47 MYR 1.87

6.38%

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

$29.1K MYR 114.8K

$40.2K MYR 158.2K

-27.46%

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

$27.9K MYR 109.9K

$32.1K MYR 126.4K

-13.08%

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

$47.94 MYR 189

$63.4 MYR 250

-24.35%

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

$3.60 MYR 14.19

$11.31 MYR 44.55

-68.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.43 MYR 92.3

$25.29 MYR 99.7

-7.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.62 MYR 144

$46.73 MYR 184

-21.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.72 MYR 22.53

$7.78 MYR 30.66

-26.48%

Cinema Ticket

$2.80 MYR 11.03

$5.34 MYR 21.05

-47.57%

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

$95.2 MYR 375

$264 MYR 1,038

-63.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,471 MYR 17.6K

$9,254 MYR 36.5K

-51.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 236

$59.8 MYR 235

0.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.91 MYR 90.3

$36.87 MYR 145

-37.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.8 MYR 275

$87.5 MYR 345

-20.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 MYR 372

$80.8 MYR 319

16.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MYR 1,553

$564 MYR 2,221

-30.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MYR 1,043

$368 MYR 1,449

-27.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 MYR 2,564

$1,090 MYR 4,295

-40.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 MYR 1,840

$639 MYR 2,519

-26.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,904 MYR 7,501

$4,036 MYR 15.9K

-52.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$993 MYR 3,913

$1,538 MYR 6,058

-35.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 MYR 2,982

$1,597 MYR 6,293

-52.61%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: March 1, 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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