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

🙂 Solo nomad: Sandakan, Sabah is 8.6% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 1% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sandakan, Sabah is 1.9% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 7.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.31 MYR 9.73

$2.97 MYR 12.54

-22.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.93 MYR 79.8

$20.84 MYR 87.9

-9.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 20.43

$4.34 MYR 18.32

11.75%

Cappuccino

$2.71 MYR 11.41

$2.84 MYR 11.97

-4.58%

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

$0.66 MYR 2.78

$0.69 MYR 2.89

-4.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.96

$0.36 MYR 1.52

-36.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MYR 9.9

$4.23 MYR 17.84

-44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 MYR 14.98

$4.41 MYR 18.6

-19.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 7.02

$1.82 MYR 7.65

-8.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 MYR 5.1

$0.99 MYR 4.18

22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.87

$2.04 MYR 8.62

-43.14%

Eggs

$2.85 MYR 12.01

$2.05 MYR 8.63

39.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 63.1

$17.11 MYR 72.2

-12.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.56 MYR 15.01

$5.23 MYR 22.05

-31.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 MYR 30.3

$14.77 MYR 62.3

-51.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MYR 11.18

$2.91 MYR 12.25

-8.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 MYR 4.93

$1.46 MYR 6.18

-19.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 MYR 13.32

$2.59 MYR 10.92

22.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 MYR 8.21

$2.11 MYR 8.88

-7.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.17

$1.18 MYR 4.98

4.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.36

$1.21 MYR 5.1

4.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MYR 4.54

$0.91 MYR 3.82

18.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.97

$0.45 MYR 1.91

4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.71

$4.2 MYR 17.73

Wine (Bottle)

$18.92 MYR 79.8

$14.1 MYR 59.5

34.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MYR 8.14

$2.71 MYR 11.44

-28.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 MYR 6.79

$3.47 MYR 14.65

-53.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 3.13

$0.49 MYR 2.05

51.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.71 MYR 49.36

$17.98 MYR 75.8

-34.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 MYR 4.92

$0.72 MYR 3.04

62.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 MYR 4.14

$0.5 MYR 2.1

96.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 MYR 24.27

$7 MYR 29.53

-17.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.93

$0.46 MYR 1.96

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

$29.3K MYR 123.7K

$33.6K MYR 141.7K

-12.66%

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

$27.2K MYR 114.6K

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

0.26%

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

$46.98 MYR 198

$39.21 MYR 165

19.82%

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

$3.64 MYR 15.33

$10.33 MYR 43.55

-64.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.77 MYR 100

$31.17 MYR 131

-23.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.2 MYR 153

$32.59 MYR 137

11.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 MYR 24.4

$5.59 MYR 23.59

3.58%

Cinema Ticket

$2.75 MYR 11.6

$5.01 MYR 21.15

-45.11%

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

$95.7 MYR 403

$241 MYR 1,014

-60.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,548 MYR 19.2K

$6,174 MYR 26K

-26.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 MYR 247

$55.3 MYR 233

5.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.19 MYR 97.8

$28.42 MYR 120

-18.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71 MYR 300

$61.2 MYR 258

16.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 MYR 390

$53.6 MYR 226

72.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 MYR 1,654

$388 MYR 1,637

1.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MYR 1,120

$230 MYR 968

15.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 MYR 2,714

$640 MYR 2,700

0.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 MYR 1,986

$522 MYR 2,201

-9.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,722 MYR 7,261

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

-29.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,151 MYR 4,852

$1,481 MYR 6,247

-22.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 MYR 2,965

$1,101 MYR 4,643

-36.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

-27.88%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 29, 2025

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2025

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