Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandakan, Sabah and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $968 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$968

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $968 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Sandakan, Sabah $968
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,470 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,470
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,971 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Sandakan, Sabah $1,971
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Sandakan, Sabah costs roughly 24% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sandakan, Sabah 29% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 MYR 14.91

$11.63 ₾30.07

-68.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.26 MYR 78.7

$37.83 ₾97.9

-49.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 MYR 18.63

$9.66 ₾24.98

-52.80%

Cappuccino

$3.07 MYR 12.56

$3.57 ₾9.24

-14.01%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.98

$1.08 ₾2.78

-32.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 MYR 1.75

$0.56 ₾1.45

-23.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.35

$2.62 ₾6.78

61.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 MYR 16.06

$3.04 ₾7.86

29.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MYR 8.13

$2.17 ₾5.60

-8.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 MYR 4.81

$0.80 ₾2.06

47.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.10

$1.74 ₾4.51

-14.37%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.16

$2.83 ₾7.31

-20.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.79 MYR 48.20

$9.31 ₾24.08

26.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.00 MYR 16.36

$6.52 ₾16.86

-38.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 MYR 39.02

$12.95 ₾33.50

-26.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 MYR 11.59

$1.68 ₾4.34

69.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.65

$1.85 ₾4.80

-11.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 MYR 10.34

$1.97 ₾5.10

28.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 MYR 6.39

$2.42 ₾6.25

-35.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.68

$0.82 ₾2.11

69.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.65

$0.74 ₾1.91

86.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 MYR 5.17

$1.34 ₾3.47

-5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.94

$0.77 ₾2.00

-37.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 MYR 16.52

$3.57 ₾9.24

13.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.89 MYR 89.5

$7.67 ₾19.84

185.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 MYR 12.77

$1.70 ₾4.39

83.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 MYR 17.51

$2.40 ₾6.21

78.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MYR 3.22

$0.40 ₾1.05

97.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.67 MYR 43.60

$15.23 ₾39.39

-29.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 MYR 5.41

$1.14 ₾2.95

15.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 MYR 2.58

$0.78 ₾2.02

-19.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.09 MYR 33.08

$11.83 ₾30.59

-31.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.33

$1.45 ₾3.75

-43.45%

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

$46.8K MYR 191.1K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

90.22%

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

$39.7K MYR 162.1K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

77.62%

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

$48.86 MYR 200

$88.8 ₾230

-44.98%

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

$10.09 MYR 41.24

$13.12 ₾33.94

-23.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.65 MYR 117

$19.67 ₾50.9

45.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.98 MYR 151

$64.1 ₾166

-42.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.38 MYR 30.16

$19.04 ₾49.25

-61.24%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 MYR 20.77

$7.12 ₾18.42

-28.65%

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

$242 MYR 990

$375 ₾971

-35.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,062 MYR 28.9K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

-32.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 MYR 258

$104 ₾268

-39.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.35 MYR 124

$39.26 ₾102

-22.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 MYR 374

$117 ₾304

-22.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 MYR 316

$122 ₾315

-36.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$379 MYR 1,549

$695 ₾1,798

-45.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 MYR 1,331

$451 ₾1,167

-27.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 MYR 2,577

$1,355 ₾3,505

-53.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 MYR 2,406

$906 ₾2,344

-35.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,010 MYR 8,215

$2,295 ₾5,936

-12.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 MYR 4,696

$1,345 ₾3,479

-14.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,210 MYR 4,946

$664 ₾1,718

82.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

12.62

-67.83%

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

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sandakan, Sabah

$326 33.6%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 38.5% $125

Groceries & Markets

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 26.7%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 9.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Sandakan, Sabah

$118 12.2%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 45.7% $54

Eating Out

Sandakan, Sabah

$113 11.7%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 68% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandakan, Sabah

$88 9.1%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 38.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sandakan, Sabah

$47 4.9%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 66.1% $31

Getting Around

Sandakan, Sabah

$18 1.9%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 19.6% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $379 in Sandakan, Sabah and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandakan, Sabah pays 82% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19 in Sandakan, Sabah vs $38 in Tbilisi. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $234, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

23:03 11:03 PM

4 h behind Sandakan, Sabah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

439,050

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sandakan, Sabah Tbilisi 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandakan, Sabah
Tbilisi

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 Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sandakan, Sabah and Tbilisi differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($968 vs $1,269 including rent). Sandakan, Sabah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 82% 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: $379 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sandakan, Sabah runs roughly 30% less than in Tbilisi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $242 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $375 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $968 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sandakan, Sabah but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. 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 Tbilisi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.