Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Kuching Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Kuching

🙂 Solo nomad: Sandakan, Sabah is 4.7% cheaper than Kuching without rent, and 4.9% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sandakan, Sabah is 12.7% cheaper than Kuching without rent, and 7.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.42 MYR 9.81

$2.89 MYR 11.72

-16.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.94 MYR 76.9

$20.39 MYR 82.8

-7.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.59 MYR 18.65

$4.82 MYR 19.55

-4.77%

Cappuccino

$2.64 MYR 10.73

$2.45 MYR 9.96

7.76%

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

$0.65 MYR 2.65

$0.75 MYR 3.05

-13.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 MYR 1.02

$0.30 MYR 1.22

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MYR 9.78

$2.77 MYR 11.26

-13.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 MYR 14.45

$3.69 MYR 14.99

-3.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MYR 6.82

$1.91 MYR 7.75

-12.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 MYR 5.05

$1.12 MYR 4.55

10.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.90

$1.06 MYR 4.30

14.15%

Eggs

$2.75 MYR 11.16

$2.24 MYR 9.10

22.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.29 MYR 62.1

$9.49 MYR 38.52

61.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 MYR 14.57

$3.75 MYR 15.21

-4.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 MYR 29.19

$8.15 MYR 33.10

-11.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 MYR 10.29

$2.97 MYR 12.07

-14.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.71

$1.14 MYR 4.65

1.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.86

$2.58 MYR 10.49

22.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 MYR 7.79

$1.82 MYR 7.38

5.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.15 MYR 4.66

3.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.32

$1.23 MYR 5.01

6.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.41

$1.76 MYR 7.16

-38.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$0.49 MYR 2.00

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MYR 16.85

$4.14 MYR 16.80

0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.00 MYR 73.1

$19.30 MYR 78.4

-6.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MYR 7.72

$3.69 MYR 14.97

-48.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 MYR 6.87

$3.43 MYR 13.92

-50.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MYR 2.75

$0.25 MYR 1.02

172.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.80 MYR 47.90

$11.82 MYR 47.98

-0.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 MYR 4.72

$0.97 MYR 3.93

19.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 MYR 4.00

$1.09 MYR 4.41

-10.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.99 MYR 24.33

$1.87 MYR 7.58

220.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.87

$0.50 MYR 2.04

-8.00%

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

$29.6K MYR 120.0K

$46.1K MYR 187.0K

-35.82%

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

$27.2K MYR 110.5K

$36.2K MYR 146.8K

-24.76%

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

$46.59 MYR 189

$40.95 MYR 166

13.77%

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

$3.64 MYR 14.78

$9.21 MYR 37.40

-60.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.74 MYR 96.4

$25.22 MYR 102

-5.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.54 MYR 148

$29.30 MYR 119

24.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.77 MYR 23.41

$9.80 MYR 39.80

-41.12%

Cinema Ticket

$2.88 MYR 11.70

$4.58 MYR 18.61

-37.12%

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

$95.3 MYR 387

$141 MYR 572

-32.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,547 MYR 18.5K

$6,166 MYR 25.0K

-26.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 MYR 240

$64.8 MYR 263

-8.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.74 MYR 92.3

$31.43 MYR 128

-27.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 MYR 289

$86.7 MYR 352

-17.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 MYR 380

$72.5 MYR 294

29.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 MYR 1,560

$281 MYR 1,142

36.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 MYR 1,114

$204 MYR 827

34.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,657

$561 MYR 2,276

16.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$468 MYR 1,899

$380 MYR 1,543

23.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,451 MYR 5,893

$2,054 MYR 8,340

-29.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$903 MYR 3,667

$1,526 MYR 6,195

-40.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$752 MYR 3,052

$588 MYR 2,387

27.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.27

-29.74%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: January 10, 2026

Last update for Kuching: 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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