Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Sandakan, Sabah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $934 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $27,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
45

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

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sydney and in Sandakan, Sabah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,245 in Sydney versus $934 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Sydney $3,245
Sandakan, Sabah $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,803 in Sydney versus $1,397 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Sydney $4,803
Sandakan, Sabah $1,397

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,362 in Sydney versus $1,860 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Sydney $6,362
Sandakan, Sabah $1,860

Living in Sydney is roughly 247% more expensive than in Sandakan, Sabah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 139% above, Sandakan, Sabah is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$25.05

$3.75 MYR 15.28

364.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 A$130

$19.24 MYR 78.5

369.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 A$17.15

$4.77 MYR 19.45

149.90%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.80

$2.83 MYR 11.53

42.40%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$0.79 MYR 3.23

264.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.20

$0.40 MYR 1.63

457.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.36

$3.77 MYR 15.39

109.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.76

$4.48 MYR 18.27

51.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.45

$1.82 MYR 7.44

-6.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.04 MYR 4.26

182.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.61

$1.49 MYR 6.09

68.46%

Eggs

$5.55 A$7.99

$2.05 MYR 8.37

170.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$13.38 MYR 54.6

-12.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$13.35

$4.36 MYR 17.77

112.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 A$24.03

$9.69 MYR 39.54

72.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$3.28 MYR 13.39

19.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.55

$1.67 MYR 6.83

89.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$2.42 MYR 9.85

43.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 A$6.31

$1.53 MYR 6.25

186.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.79

$1.31 MYR 5.35

154.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$1.18 MYR 4.82

103.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$1.12 MYR 4.57

106.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.53 MYR 2.15

116.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.8

$4.50 MYR 18.35

885.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 A$19.72

$19.33 MYR 78.9

-29.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$3.02 MYR 12.30

32.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 A$5.80

$4.55 MYR 18.55

-11.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.63

$0.72 MYR 2.92

347.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 A$222

$12.43 MYR 50.7

1139.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$1.19 MYR 4.85

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.50 MYR 2.05

216.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.8

$7.51 MYR 30.63

425.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$0.80 MYR 3.28

85.00%

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

$29.6K A$42.5K

$41.3K MYR 168.5K

-28.44%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$34.3K MYR 140.0K

-19.39%

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

$241 A$347

$48.48 MYR 198

397.90%

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

$27.57 A$39.67

$9.82 MYR 40.07

180.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$81.0

$27.45 MYR 112

105.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

$39.94 MYR 163

95.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

$7.11 MYR 29.01

227.14%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.26

$4.94 MYR 20.14

255.26%

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

$2,185 A$3,144

$190 MYR 776

1048.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$40.0K

$7,001 MYR 28.6K

296.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$56.6 MYR 231

41.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 A$102

$34.71 MYR 142

103.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$81.6 MYR 333

35.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$75.7 MYR 309

71.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

$403 MYR 1,644

514.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

$299 MYR 1,221

493.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

$681 MYR 2,779

617.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

$489 MYR 1,994

532.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.3K

$2,002 MYR 8,167

569.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,375 A$12.1K

$1,079 MYR 4,402

676.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,862

$1,220 MYR 4,976

233.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

4.06

45.81%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

Sandakan, Sabah

$299 32.1% 83.2% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$378 11.7%

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 27.6% 31.9% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$325 10%

Sandakan, Sabah

$86 9.2% 73.6% $239

Eating Out

Sydney

$297 9.2%

Sandakan, Sabah

$111 11.9% 62.7% $186

Getting Around

Sydney

$178 5.5%

Sandakan, Sabah

$19 2% 89.4% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Sandakan, Sabah

$112 12% 36.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$113 3.5%

Sandakan, Sabah

$50 5.3% 56% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,477 in Sydney and $403 in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 234% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $90.0 in Sydney vs $19.00 in Sandakan, Sabah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $258 per month, with Sandakan, Sabah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

439,050

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Sandakan, Sabah 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Sandakan, Sabah

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

Sydney vs Sandakan, Sabah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Sandakan, Sabah differ by about 247% in total monthly costs ($3,245 vs $934 including rent). Sandakan, Sabah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 234% higher in Sydney, 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: $2,477 in Sydney versus $403 in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sandakan, Sabah runs roughly 1140% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,185 in Sydney versus $190 in Sandakan, Sabah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $934 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $3,245 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sandakan, Sabah but tight or insufficient in Sydney. 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, Sydney and Sandakan, Sabah 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 247% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.