Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $968 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sandakan, Sabah
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Sandakan, Sabah Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$968

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sandakan, Sabah and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $968 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Sandakan, Sabah $968
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,470 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,470
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,971 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,971
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Sandakan, Sabah costs roughly 40% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sandakan, Sabah is 29% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 MYR 14.86

$10.62 MX$198

-65.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.26 MYR 78.5

$48.35 MX$901

-60.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 MYR 18.57

$10.35 MX$193

-55.94%

Cappuccino

$3.07 MYR 12.53

$3.69 MX$68.8

-16.80%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.97

$1.67 MX$31.07

-56.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 MYR 1.75

$1.27 MX$23.59

-66.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.29

$3.19 MX$59.5

32.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 MYR 16.01

$5.31 MX$98.9

-25.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MYR 8.11

$1.72 MX$32.15

15.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 MYR 4.80

$3.04 MX$56.7

-61.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.08

$1.94 MX$36.19

-23.20%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.13

$2.89 MX$53.8

-22.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.79 MYR 48.06

$10.97 MX$205

7.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.00 MYR 16.31

$9.25 MX$172

-56.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 MYR 38.90

$15.13 MX$282

-36.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 MYR 11.55

$3.05 MX$56.8

-6.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.63

$1.94 MX$36.19

-15.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 MYR 10.30

$2.03 MX$37.75

24.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 MYR 6.37

$2.31 MX$43.15

-32.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.66

$2.04 MX$37.94

-31.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$1.80 MX$33.55

-23.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 MYR 5.15

$1.48 MX$27.58

-14.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.94

$1.27 MX$23.63

-62.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 MYR 16.47

$5.30 MX$98.9

-23.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.89 MYR 89.2

$16.10 MX$300

35.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 MYR 12.73

$1.98 MX$36.97

57.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 MYR 17.46

$4.25 MX$79.3

0.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$0.31 MX$5.69

154.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.67 MYR 43.47

$19.73 MX$368

-45.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 MYR 5.39

$1.84 MX$34.25

-28.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 MYR 2.58

$0.53 MX$9.94

18.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.09 MYR 32.98

$5.30 MX$98.7

52.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.32

$1.51 MX$28.16

-45.70%

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

$46.8K MYR 190.5K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

114.91%

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

$39.7K MYR 161.6K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

65.40%

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

$48.86 MYR 199

$63.0 MX$1,174

-22.42%

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

$10.09 MYR 41.11

$27.39 MX$511

-63.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.65 MYR 117

$35.67 MX$665

-19.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.98 MYR 151

$58.9 MX$1,099

-37.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.38 MYR 30.07

$23.64 MX$441

-68.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 MYR 20.70

$6.40 MX$119

-20.63%

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

$242 MYR 987

$432 MX$8,045

-43.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,062 MYR 28.8K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

-38.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 MYR 257

$68.2 MX$1,272

-7.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.35 MYR 124

$53.1 MX$990

-42.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 MYR 373

$108 MX$2,009

-15.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 MYR 315

$117 MX$2,186

-34.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$379 MYR 1,545

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-65.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 MYR 1,327

$710 MX$13.2K

-54.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 MYR 2,569

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-75.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 MYR 2,399

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-58.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,010 MYR 8,190

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-44.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 MYR 4,682

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-46.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,210 MYR 4,931

$946 MX$17.6K

27.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

11.35

-64.23%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sandakan, Sabah

$326 33.6%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 118% $385

Groceries & Markets

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 26.7%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 23.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Sandakan, Sabah

$118 12.2%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 32.1% $38

Eating Out

Sandakan, Sabah

$113 11.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 75% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandakan, Sabah

$88 9.1%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 43.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Sandakan, Sabah

$47 4.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 52.2% $25

Getting Around

Sandakan, Sabah

$18 1.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 39% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $379 in Sandakan, Sabah and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandakan, Sabah pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19 in Sandakan, Sabah vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $320 per month, with Sandakan, Sabah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

06:02 6:02 AM

14 h behind Sandakan, Sabah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

439,050

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sandakan, Sabah Mexico City 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandakan, Sabah
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sandakan, Sabah and Mexico City differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($968 vs $1,608 including rent). Sandakan, Sabah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 28% 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: $379 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sandakan, Sabah runs roughly 46% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $242 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $968 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sandakan, Sabah but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Sandakan, Sabah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Sandakan, Sabah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.