Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $968 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Petaling Jaya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sandakan, Sabah
Learn more

Sandakan, Sabah Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
Learn more

Petaling Jaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$968

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sandakan, Sabah and in Petaling Jaya

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 Petaling Jaya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $968 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $968
Petaling Jaya $1,056

A couple spends around $1,470 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $1,569 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,470
Petaling Jaya $1,569

A family of three spends $1,971 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $2,082 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,971
Petaling Jaya $2,082

Sandakan, Sabah is about 8% cheaper than Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Sandakan, Sabah and Petaling Jaya are more affordable than the global median – Sandakan, Sabah 29% lower, Petaling Jaya 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 MYR 14.86

$3.57 MYR 14.54

2.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.26 MYR 78.5

$24.39 MYR 99.4

-21.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 MYR 18.57

$4.85 MYR 19.75

-5.98%

Cappuccino

$3.07 MYR 12.53

$3.08 MYR 12.53

-0.32%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.97

$0.85 MYR 3.46

-14.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 MYR 1.75

$0.41 MYR 1.67

4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.29

$3.28 MYR 13.38

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 MYR 16.01

$5.69 MYR 23.19

-30.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MYR 8.11

$1.93 MYR 7.87

3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 MYR 4.80

$1.03 MYR 4.21

14.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.08

$1.44 MYR 5.87

3.47%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.13

$1.77 MYR 7.21

26.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.79 MYR 48.06

$9.71 MYR 39.56

21.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.00 MYR 16.31

$3.28 MYR 13.36

21.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 MYR 38.90

$9.73 MYR 39.65

-1.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 MYR 11.55

$3.51 MYR 14.29

-19.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.63

$1.86 MYR 7.57

-12.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 MYR 10.30

$2.73 MYR 11.13

-7.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 MYR 6.37

$1.83 MYR 7.44

-14.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.66

$2.15 MYR 8.75

-35.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$2.02 MYR 8.23

-31.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 MYR 5.15

$1.45 MYR 5.90

-12.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.94

$0.52 MYR 2.14

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 MYR 16.47

$4.56 MYR 18.59

-11.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.89 MYR 89.2

$19.38 MYR 79.0

12.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 MYR 12.73

$2.64 MYR 10.75

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 MYR 17.46

$4.48 MYR 18.24

-4.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-36.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.67 MYR 43.47

$12.45 MYR 50.7

-14.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 MYR 5.39

$1.19 MYR 4.85

10.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 MYR 2.58

$0.35 MYR 1.44

80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.09 MYR 32.98

$8.75 MYR 35.65

-7.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.32

$0.87 MYR 3.55

-5.75%

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

$46.8K MYR 190.5K

$45.9K MYR 186.9K

1.91%

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

$39.7K MYR 161.6K

$35.3K MYR 143.9K

12.32%

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

$48.86 MYR 199

$49.61 MYR 202

-1.51%

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

$10.09 MYR 41.11

$8.18 MYR 33.33

23.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.65 MYR 117

$27.36 MYR 111

4.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.98 MYR 151

$40.42 MYR 165

-8.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.38 MYR 30.07

$3.03 MYR 12.34

143.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 MYR 20.70

$5.00 MYR 20.38

1.60%

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

$242 MYR 987

$273 MYR 1,112

-11.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,062 MYR 28.8K

$10.5K MYR 42.9K

-32.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 MYR 257

$51.6 MYR 210

22.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.35 MYR 124

$29.45 MYR 120

3.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 MYR 373

$78.0 MYR 318

17.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 MYR 315

$87.2 MYR 355

-11.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$379 MYR 1,545

$511 MYR 2,084

-25.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 MYR 1,327

$426 MYR 1,738

-23.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 MYR 2,569

$961 MYR 3,914

-34.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 MYR 2,399

$699 MYR 2,849

-15.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,010 MYR 8,190

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

-36.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 MYR 4,682

$976 MYR 3,978

17.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,210 MYR 4,931

$1,746 MYR 7,115

-30.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

4.51

-9.98%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sandakan, Sabah

$326 33.6%

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4% 31% $101

Groceries & Markets

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 26.7%

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6% 3.4% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Sandakan, Sabah

$118 12.2%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5% 6.1% $7.2

Eating Out

Sandakan, Sabah

$113 11.7%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7% 0.6% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandakan, Sabah

$88 9.1%

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1% 2.8% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Sandakan, Sabah

$47 4.9%

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8% 7% $3.3

Getting Around

Sandakan, Sabah

$18 1.9%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9% 11.5% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $379 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $511 in Petaling Jaya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 44% higher in Petaling Jaya. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $24 in Petaling Jaya. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Sandakan, Sabah vs $249 in Petaling Jaya – so Petaling Jaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

Same time as Sandakan, Sabah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

439,050

771,687

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sandakan, Sabah Petaling Jaya 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sandakan, Sabah
Petaling Jaya

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 Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Petaling Jaya costs about 9% more than Sandakan, Sabah, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,453 per month in Sandakan, Sabah and $1,583 in Petaling Jaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $379 there versus $511 in Petaling Jaya.

Public transport costs about 14% less in Sandakan, Sabah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $242 per month in Sandakan, Sabah and $273 in Petaling Jaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $968 in Sandakan, Sabah and $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Sandakan, Sabah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sandakan, Sabah. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Petaling Jaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.