Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Petaling Jaya Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Petaling Jaya

😐 Solo nomad: Sandakan, Sabah is 7.6% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 4.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sandakan, Sabah is 4.7% cheaper than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 3.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.32 MYR 9.13

$3.65 MYR 14.36

-36.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.10 MYR 75.2

$18.95 MYR 74.6

0.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 MYR 18.86

$4.74 MYR 18.66

1.05%

Cappuccino

$2.64 MYR 10.42

$2.81 MYR 11.09

-6.05%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.72

$0.73 MYR 2.88

-5.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 MYR 0.99

$0.40 MYR 1.57

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MYR 9.40

$3.58 MYR 14.11

-33.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 MYR 14.19

$4.97 MYR 19.57

-27.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 MYR 6.80

$1.94 MYR 7.66

-10.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.71

$0.94 MYR 3.72

26.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 MYR 4.53

$1.78 MYR 7.02

-35.39%

Eggs

$2.77 MYR 10.93

$2.25 MYR 8.86

23.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.29 MYR 60.3

$10.55 MYR 41.55

44.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.56 MYR 14.04

$3.55 MYR 13.99

0.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.15 MYR 28.18

$7.89 MYR 31.10

-9.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MYR 10.26

$2.79 MYR 10.98

-6.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.58

$1.67 MYR 6.59

-30.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MYR 12.62

$2.45 MYR 9.64

30.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 MYR 7.49

$1.20 MYR 4.73

58.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.72

$1.18 MYR 4.65

1.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.00

$1.33 MYR 5.24

-4.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.46

$0.95 MYR 3.76

18.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.00

$0.58 MYR 2.30

-12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.08 MYR 16.08

$4.26 MYR 16.79

-4.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.66 MYR 73.5

$20.10 MYR 79.2

-7.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MYR 7.50

$2.66 MYR 10.49

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 MYR 6.64

$3.92 MYR 15.43

-57.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$0.77 MYR 3.01

-11.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.59 MYR 45.68

$11.59 MYR 45.67

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.74

$1.03 MYR 4.04

16.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 MYR 4.08

$0.35 MYR 1.39

197.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.80 MYR 22.84

$9.50 MYR 37.41

-38.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 1.96

$0.46 MYR 1.82

8.70%

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

$29.1K MYR 114.8K

$31.5K MYR 124.2K

-7.60%

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

$27.9K MYR 109.9K

$28.4K MYR 111.8K

-1.76%

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

$47.94 MYR 189

$40.92 MYR 161

17.16%

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

$3.60 MYR 14.19

$9.19 MYR 36.19

-60.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.43 MYR 92.3

$22.78 MYR 89.7

2.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.62 MYR 144

$36.50 MYR 144

0.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.72 MYR 22.53

$7.22 MYR 28.44

-20.78%

Cinema Ticket

$2.80 MYR 11.03

$4.93 MYR 19.44

-43.20%

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

$95.2 MYR 375

$211 MYR 830

-54.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,471 MYR 17.6K

$8,077 MYR 31.8K

-44.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 236

$49.40 MYR 195

21.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.91 MYR 90.3

$34.58 MYR 136

-33.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.8 MYR 275

$53.3 MYR 210

31.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 MYR 372

$48.25 MYR 190

95.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MYR 1,553

$465 MYR 1,830

-15.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MYR 1,043

$339 MYR 1,335

-21.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 MYR 2,564

$829 MYR 3,266

-21.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 MYR 1,840

$545 MYR 2,149

-14.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,904 MYR 7,501

$3,253 MYR 12.8K

-41.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$993 MYR 3,913

$803 MYR 3,164

23.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 MYR 2,982

$1,811 MYR 7,133

-58.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.49

-33.18%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: March 2, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: 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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