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

🙂 Solo nomad: Sandakan, Sabah is 23.4% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 32% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sandakan, Sabah is 22.5% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 46.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.31 MYR 9.73

$4.68 ฿151

-50.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.93 MYR 79.8

$46.4 ฿1,502

-59.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 20.43

$8.65 ฿280

-43.93%

Cappuccino

$2.71 MYR 11.41

$3.09 ฿100

-12.30%

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

$0.66 MYR 2.78

$0.73 ฿23.53

-9.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.96

$0.37 ฿11.95

-37.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MYR 9.9

$2.39 ฿77.4

-1.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 MYR 14.98

$3.62 ฿117

-1.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 7.02

$2.24 ฿72.5

-25.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 MYR 5.1

$1.8 ฿58.2

-32.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.87

$2.24 ฿72.3

-48.21%

Eggs

$2.85 MYR 12.01

$2.23 ฿72.1

27.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 63.1

$19.31 ฿625

-22.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.56 MYR 15.01

$3.77 ฿122

-5.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 MYR 30.3

$13.05 ฿422

-44.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MYR 11.18

$3.28 ฿106

-19.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 MYR 4.93

$1.63 ฿52.6

-28.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 MYR 13.32

$2.4 ฿77.7

31.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 MYR 8.21

$1.99 ฿64.3

-2.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.17

$1.53 ฿49.62

-19.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.36

$1.49 ฿48.11

-14.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MYR 4.54

$1.02 ฿32.87

5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.97

$0.48 ฿15.61

-2.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.2 MYR 17.71

$4.32 ฿140

-2.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.92 MYR 79.8

$21.68 ฿702

-12.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MYR 8.14

$1.77 ฿57.3

9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 MYR 6.79

$2.79 ฿90.4

-42.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 3.13

$1.35 ฿43.74

-45.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.71 MYR 49.36

$11.76 ฿380

-0.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 MYR 4.92

$3.15 ฿102

-62.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 MYR 4.14

$1 ฿32.3

-2.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 MYR 24.27

$13.64 ฿442

-57.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.93

$1.3 ฿42.2

-64.62%

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

$29.3K MYR 123.7K

$27.4K ฿885.2K

7.26%

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

$27.2K MYR 114.6K

$33.9K ฿1.1M

-19.88%

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

$46.98 MYR 198

$123 ฿3,970

-61.71%

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

$3.64 MYR 15.33

$13.93 ฿451

-73.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.77 MYR 100

$18.24 ฿590

30.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.2 MYR 153

$60.8 ฿1,966

-40.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 MYR 24.4

$17.11 ฿554

-66.16%

Cinema Ticket

$2.75 MYR 11.6

$9.07 ฿294

-69.68%

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

$95.7 MYR 403

$694 ฿22.5K

-86.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,548 MYR 19.2K

$15.9K ฿514.4K

-71.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 MYR 247

$57.5 ฿1,861

1.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.19 MYR 97.8

$34.51 ฿1,117

-32.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71 MYR 300

$115 ฿3,727

-38.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 MYR 390

$84.8 ฿2,743

9.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 MYR 1,654

$611 ฿19.8K

-35.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MYR 1,120

$442 ฿14.3K

-39.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 MYR 2,714

$2,014 ฿65.2K

-68.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 MYR 1,986

$1,460 ฿47.2K

-67.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,722 MYR 7,261

$4,244 ฿137.3K

-59.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,151 MYR 4,852

$2,886 ฿93.4K

-60.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 MYR 2,965

$697 ฿22.5K

0.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

-43.71%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 29, 2025

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

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