Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Tashkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $934 a month against $1,048 in Tashkent, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sandakan, Sabah
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Sandakan, Sabah Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Tashkent
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Tashkent Living Index

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Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$934

/mo nomad

Tashkent

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sandakan, Sabah and in Tashkent

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,048 in Tashkent.

Sandakan, Sabah $934
Tashkent $1,048

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,397 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,646 in Tashkent.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,397
Tashkent $1,646

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,860 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $2,244 in Tashkent.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,860
Tashkent $2,244

Living in Sandakan, Sabah costs roughly 11% less than in Tashkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sandakan, Sabah 31% lower, Tashkent 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 MYR 15.28

$6.73 UZS 81.1K

-44.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.24 MYR 78.5

$32.94 UZS 397.0K

-41.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 19.45

$5.13 UZS 61.9K

-7.02%

Cappuccino

$2.83 MYR 11.53

$2.55 UZS 30.7K

10.98%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.23

$0.70 UZS 8,488

12.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.63

$0.33 UZS 3,955

21.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 MYR 15.39

$2.09 UZS 25.2K

80.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.27

$3.77 UZS 45.4K

18.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.44

$1.30 UZS 15.7K

40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$0.85 UZS 10.2K

22.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.09

$1.63 UZS 19.7K

-8.59%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.37

$1.80 UZS 21.6K

13.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 MYR 54.6

$8.04 UZS 96.9K

66.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.77

$4.07 UZS 49.1K

7.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MYR 39.54

$12.49 UZS 150.6K

-22.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.39

$1.49 UZS 18.0K

120.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$1.81 UZS 21.8K

-7.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 MYR 9.85

$2.19 UZS 26.4K

10.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$1.70 UZS 20.5K

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.35

$0.60 UZS 7,171

118.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.82

$0.37 UZS 4,488

218.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$1.02 UZS 12.3K

9.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.15

$0.44 UZS 5,351

20.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$1.95 UZS 23.5K

130.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.33 MYR 78.9

$7.33 UZS 88.4K

163.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$1.32 UZS 15.9K

128.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 MYR 18.55

$3.55 UZS 42.7K

28.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$0.15 UZS 1,786

380.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 MYR 50.7

$12.30 UZS 148.2K

1.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$0.86 UZS 10.4K

38.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.05

$0.36 UZS 4,382

38.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.51 MYR 30.63

$3.18 UZS 38.4K

136.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.28

$1.13 UZS 13.6K

-29.20%

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

$41.3K MYR 168.5K

$17.3K UZS 208.5M

138.73%

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

$34.3K MYR 140.0K

$20.7K UZS 249.8M

65.53%

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

$48.48 MYR 198

$67.2 UZS 809.7K

-27.85%

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

$9.82 MYR 40.07

$4.40 UZS 53.0K

123.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.45 MYR 112

$13.35 UZS 160.9K

105.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.94 MYR 163

$67.5 UZS 813.2K

-40.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.11 MYR 29.01

$18.05 UZS 217.5K

-60.61%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MYR 20.14

$5.66 UZS 68.2K

-12.72%

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

$190 MYR 776

$333 UZS 4.0M

-42.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,001 MYR 28.6K

$9,238 UZS 111.3M

-24.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 MYR 231

$49.73 UZS 599.3K

13.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.71 MYR 142

$58.0 UZS 698.6K

-40.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 333

$112 UZS 1.3M

-27.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.7 MYR 309

$134 UZS 1.6M

-43.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 MYR 1,644

$595 UZS 7.2M

-32.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 MYR 1,221

$395 UZS 4.8M

-24.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 MYR 2,779

$1,188 UZS 14.3M

-42.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 MYR 1,994

$735 UZS 8.9M

-33.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,002 MYR 8,167

$1,621 UZS 19.5M

23.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,079 MYR 4,402

$944 UZS 11.4M

14.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,220 MYR 4,976

$716 UZS 8.6M

70.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

23.31

-82.58%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 17, 2026

Last update for Tashkent: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sandakan, Sabah

$299 32.1%

Tashkent

$395 37.7% 31.9% $95

Groceries & Markets

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 27.6%

Tashkent

$193 18.4% 25% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Sandakan, Sabah

$112 12%

Tashkent

$159 15.2% 42.1% $47

Eating Out

Sandakan, Sabah

$111 11.9%

Tashkent

$122 11.6% 10.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandakan, Sabah

$86 9.2%

Tashkent

$85 8.1% 0.9% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Sandakan, Sabah

$50 5.3%

Tashkent

$79 7.5% 58.2% $29

Getting Around

Sandakan, Sabah

$19 2%

Tashkent

$16 1.5% 18% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $403 in Sandakan, Sabah and $595 in Tashkent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandakan, Sabah pays 70% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19.00 in Sandakan, Sabah vs $33.00 in Tashkent. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $193, with Tashkent cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🇺🇿 Tashkent

🕒 Local time

03:52 3:52 AM

00:52 12:52 AM

3 h behind Sandakan, Sabah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

439,050

2,956,384 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100,000 UZS = 8.3 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UZS, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 12,051 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.3 USD). 1 EUR = 13,548 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.38 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sandakan, Sabah Tashkent 6,230 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandakan, Sabah
Tashkent

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 Tashkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sandakan, Sabah and Tashkent differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($934 vs $1,048 including rent). Sandakan, Sabah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 70% higher in Sandakan, Sabah, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $403 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $595 in Tashkent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sandakan, Sabah runs roughly 1% less than in Tashkent. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $190 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $333 in Tashkent. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $934 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,048 in Tashkent, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sandakan, Sabah but tight or insufficient in Tashkent. The gap between the two cities makes Sandakan, Sabah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sandakan, Sabah and Tashkent are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sandakan, Sabah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Tashkent. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.