Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $968 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sandakan, Sabah
Learn more

Sandakan, Sabah Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$968

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sandakan, Sabah and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $968 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $968
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,470 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,470
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,971 per month in Sandakan, Sabah vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,971
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Sandakan, Sabah is about 20% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sandakan, Sabah and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sandakan, Sabah 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 MYR 14.86

$10.92 MX$204

-66.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.26 MYR 78.5

$43.37 MX$808

-55.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 MYR 18.57

$11.78 MX$220

-61.29%

Cappuccino

$3.07 MYR 12.53

$3.81 MX$71.0

-19.42%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.97

$1.28 MX$23.90

-42.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 MYR 1.75

$0.78 MX$14.59

-44.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.29

$3.17 MX$59.0

33.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 MYR 16.01

$4.93 MX$92.0

-20.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MYR 8.11

$1.41 MX$26.22

41.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 MYR 4.80

$2.22 MX$41.33

-46.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.08

$1.42 MX$26.42

4.93%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.13

$2.52 MX$47.03

-11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.79 MYR 48.06

$7.26 MX$135

62.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.00 MYR 16.31

$7.70 MX$143

-48.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 MYR 38.90

$12.69 MX$237

-24.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 MYR 11.55

$2.78 MX$51.9

2.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.63

$1.37 MX$25.50

18.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 MYR 10.30

$2.55 MX$47.55

-0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 MYR 6.37

$2.12 MX$39.58

-26.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.66

$1.94 MX$36.13

-28.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$1.89 MX$35.16

-26.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 MYR 5.15

$1.15 MX$21.37

10.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.94

$1.18 MX$21.98

-59.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 MYR 16.47

$4.30 MX$80.1

-6.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.89 MYR 89.2

$9.95 MX$185

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 MYR 12.73

$1.58 MX$29.52

97.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 MYR 17.46

$2.67 MX$49.79

60.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$0.55 MX$10.31

43.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.67 MYR 43.47

$26.62 MX$496

-59.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 MYR 5.39

$4.97 MX$92.6

-73.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 MYR 2.58

$3.33 MX$62.1

-81.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.09 MYR 32.98

$5.36 MX$99.8

50.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.32

$1.44 MX$26.92

-43.06%

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

$46.8K MYR 190.5K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

126.23%

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

$39.7K MYR 161.6K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

69.07%

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

$48.86 MYR 199

$84.8 MX$1,581

-42.38%

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

$10.09 MYR 41.11

$23.41 MX$436

-56.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.65 MYR 117

$28.66 MX$534

-0.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.98 MYR 151

$57.1 MX$1,063

-35.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.38 MYR 30.07

$28.91 MX$539

-74.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 MYR 20.70

$5.14 MX$95.8

-1.17%

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

$242 MYR 987

$207 MX$3,851

17.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,062 MYR 28.8K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

79.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 MYR 257

$43.35 MX$808

45.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.35 MYR 124

$41.44 MX$772

-26.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 MYR 373

$74.2 MX$1,383

23.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 MYR 315

$89.3 MX$1,664

-13.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$379 MYR 1,545

$980 MX$18.3K

-61.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 MYR 1,327

$381 MX$7,099

-14.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 MYR 2,569

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-63.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 MYR 2,399

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-45.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,010 MYR 8,190

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-49.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 MYR 4,682

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-81.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,210 MYR 4,931

$735 MX$13.7K

64.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

11.45

-64.54%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sandakan, Sabah

$326 33.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 16.9% $55

Groceries & Markets

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 26.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 1.3% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Sandakan, Sabah

$118 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 5.3% $6.3

Eating Out

Sandakan, Sabah

$113 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 78.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandakan, Sabah

$88 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 56.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Sandakan, Sabah

$47 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 42.8% $20

Getting Around

Sandakan, Sabah

$18 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 176% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $379 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. 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 65% higher in Sandakan, Sabah, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Sandakan, Sabah vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

07:02 7:02 AM

13 h behind Sandakan, Sabah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

439,050

149,923

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sandakan, Sabah Playa del Carmen 15,990 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandakan, Sabah
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,453 per month in Sandakan, Sabah and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $968 in Sandakan, Sabah and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 24%.

Kindergarten costs $242 per month in Sandakan, Sabah and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sandakan, Sabah, where all-in costs run around $968, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Sandakan, Sabah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $968 in Sandakan, Sabah to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.