Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Sandakan, Sabah

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.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
45

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

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi 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 Tbilisi and in Sandakan, Sabah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Tbilisi $1,269
Sandakan, Sabah $968

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

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

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

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

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 31% more expensive than in Sandakan, Sabah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$3.65 MYR 14.86

218.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$19.26 MYR 78.5

96.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$4.56 MYR 18.57

111.84%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.07 MYR 12.53

16.29%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.73 MYR 2.97

47.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.43 MYR 1.75

30.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$4.24 MYR 17.29

-38.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$3.93 MYR 16.01

-22.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.99 MYR 8.11

9.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.18 MYR 4.80

-32.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.49 MYR 6.08

16.78%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.24 MYR 9.13

26.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$11.79 MYR 48.06

-21.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.00 MYR 16.31

63.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$9.55 MYR 38.90

35.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$2.84 MYR 11.55

-40.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.63 MYR 6.63

13.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$2.53 MYR 10.30

-22.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.56 MYR 6.37

55.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.39 MYR 5.66

-41.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.38 MYR 5.63

-46.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.27 MYR 5.15

5.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.48 MYR 1.94

60.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.04 MYR 16.47

-11.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$21.89 MYR 89.2

-64.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$3.12 MYR 12.73

-45.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$4.29 MYR 17.46

-44.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.79 MYR 3.21

-49.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$10.67 MYR 43.47

42.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.32 MYR 5.39

-13.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.63 MYR 2.58

23.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$8.09 MYR 32.98

46.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.82 MYR 3.32

76.83%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$46.8K MYR 190.5K

-47.43%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$39.7K MYR 161.6K

-43.70%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$48.86 MYR 199

81.74%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$10.09 MYR 41.11

30.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$28.65 MYR 117

-31.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$36.98 MYR 151

73.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$7.38 MYR 30.07

157.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$5.08 MYR 20.70

40.16%

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

$375 ₾971

$242 MYR 987

55.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$7,062 MYR 28.8K

48.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$63.1 MYR 257

64.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$30.35 MYR 124

29.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$91.5 MYR 373

28.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$77.2 MYR 315

57.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$379 MYR 1,545

83.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$326 MYR 1,327

38.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$631 MYR 2,569

114.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$589 MYR 2,399

53.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$2,010 MYR 8,190

14.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,149 MYR 4,682

17.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$1,210 MYR 4,931

-45.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

4.06

210.84%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Sandakan, Sabah

$326 33.6% 27.8% $125

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 26.7% 10.4% $24

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Sandakan, Sabah

$113 11.7% 40.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Sandakan, Sabah

$118 12.2% 31.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Sandakan, Sabah

$88 9.1% 28% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Sandakan, Sabah

$47 4.9% 39.8% $31

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Sandakan, Sabah

$18 1.9% 16.4% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $379 in Sandakan, Sabah. 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: $38 in Tbilisi vs $19 in Sandakan, Sabah. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $258, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

439,050

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Tbilisi
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $968 in Sandakan, Sabah, so Sandakan, Sabah is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Tbilisi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $379 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 30% less than in Tbilisi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $242 in Sandakan, Sabah. 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, Tbilisi and Sandakan, Sabah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.