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

🙂 Solo nomad: Sandakan, Sabah is 7% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 0.8% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sandakan, Sabah is 15.4% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 8.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.32 MYR 9.13

$3.07 MYR 12.10

-24.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.10 MYR 75.2

$21.19 MYR 83.5

-9.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 MYR 18.86

$4.20 MYR 16.53

14.05%

Cappuccino

$2.64 MYR 10.42

$2.96 MYR 11.68

-10.81%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.72

$0.74 MYR 2.92

-6.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 MYR 0.99

$0.37 MYR 1.44

-32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MYR 9.40

$4.49 MYR 17.69

-46.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 MYR 14.19

$4.40 MYR 17.35

-18.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 MYR 6.80

$1.90 MYR 7.50

-8.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.71

$0.99 MYR 3.91

20.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 MYR 4.53

$2.05 MYR 8.09

-43.90%

Eggs

$2.77 MYR 10.93

$2.15 MYR 8.46

28.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.29 MYR 60.3

$17.37 MYR 68.4

-11.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.56 MYR 14.04

$5.00 MYR 19.69

-28.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.15 MYR 28.18

$14.88 MYR 58.6

-51.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MYR 10.26

$2.78 MYR 10.93

-6.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.58

$1.47 MYR 5.79

-21.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MYR 12.62

$2.58 MYR 10.18

24.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 MYR 7.49

$2.19 MYR 8.64

-13.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.72

$1.14 MYR 4.49

5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.00

$1.20 MYR 4.73

5.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.46

$0.89 MYR 3.52

26.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.00

$0.49 MYR 1.93

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.08 MYR 16.08

$4.35 MYR 17.13

-6.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.66 MYR 73.5

$19.52 MYR 76.9

-4.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MYR 7.50

$2.62 MYR 10.32

-27.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 MYR 6.64

$3.48 MYR 13.71

-51.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$0.46 MYR 1.80

47.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.59 MYR 45.68

$17.36 MYR 68.4

-33.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.74

$0.68 MYR 2.68

76.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 MYR 4.08

$0.50 MYR 1.98

108.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.80 MYR 22.84

$7.19 MYR 28.32

-19.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 1.96

$0.49 MYR 1.95

2.04%

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

$29.1K MYR 114.8K

$34.0K MYR 133.9K

-14.26%

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

$27.9K MYR 109.9K

$27.9K MYR 109.8K

0.05%

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

$47.94 MYR 189

$39.37 MYR 155

21.77%

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

$3.60 MYR 14.19

$10.01 MYR 39.44

-64.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.43 MYR 92.3

$31.45 MYR 124

-25.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.62 MYR 144

$33.02 MYR 130

10.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.72 MYR 22.53

$5.53 MYR 21.78

3.44%

Cinema Ticket

$2.80 MYR 11.03

$4.81 MYR 18.96

-41.79%

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

$95.2 MYR 375

$237 MYR 934

-59.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,471 MYR 17.6K

$6,252 MYR 24.6K

-28.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 236

$54.3 MYR 214

10.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.91 MYR 90.3

$29.00 MYR 114

-21.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.8 MYR 275

$62.5 MYR 246

11.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 MYR 372

$52.4 MYR 207

79.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MYR 1,553

$394 MYR 1,552

0.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MYR 1,043

$230 MYR 907

15.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 MYR 2,564

$641 MYR 2,524

1.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 MYR 1,840

$517 MYR 2,037

-9.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,904 MYR 7,501

$2,335 MYR 9,201

-18.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$993 MYR 3,913

$1,191 MYR 4,691

-16.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 MYR 2,982

$974 MYR 3,839

-22.32%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Penang: March 2, 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

Similar cities

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

Minsk

🇧🇾 Belarus

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil