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Best places to live in Sabah

27 places and 2,043,113 residents in Sabah, Malaysia, ranked for 29 household profiles. Regional overview: population, geography and modelled indicators for costs, schools and safety.

10#10 Bongawan9#9 Keningau8#8 Bandar Labuan7#7 Kinarut6#6 Kota Kinabalu5#5 Papar4#4 Taman Rajawali3#3 Sandakan2#2 Tawau1#1 Lahad Datu
Young family fit across Sabah, one dot per place; numbers mark the top 10.weakerbest fit not ranked

Rank Sabah for your household

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For young families

  1. 1Lahad Datu
    Sabah, 105,622 residents    73
  2. 2Tawau
    Sabah, 372,615 residents    71
  3. 3Sandakan
    Sabah, 439,050 residents    70
  4. 4Taman Rajawali
    Sabah, 10,000 residents    68
  5. 5Papar
    Sabah, 19,278 residents    62
  6. 6Kota Kinabalu
    Sabah, 500,421 residents    62
  7. 7Kinarut
    Sabah, 15,716 residents    59
  8. 8Bandar Labuan
    Sabah, 54,752 residents    58
  9. 9Keningau
    Sabah, 77,650 residents    55
  10. 10Bongawan
    Sabah, 5,594 residents    55

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For retired couples

  1. 1Bandar Labuan
    Sabah, 54,752 residents    78
  2. 2Lahad Datu
    Sabah, 105,622 residents    76
  3. 3Sipitang
    Sabah, 39,300 residents    73
  4. 4Tawau
    Sabah, 372,615 residents    73
  5. 5Sandakan
    Sabah, 439,050 residents    73
  6. 6Kota Kinabalu
    Sabah, 500,421 residents    70
  7. 7Semporna
    Sabah, 62,641 residents    67
  8. 8Kinarut
    Sabah, 15,716 residents    67
  9. 9Papar
    Sabah, 19,278 residents    67
  10. 10Petagas
    Sabah, 35,844 residents    67

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For remote workers

  1. 1Kota Kinabalu
    Sabah, 500,421 residents    76
  2. 2Sandakan
    Sabah, 439,050 residents    73
  3. 3Tawau
    Sabah, 372,615 residents    73
  4. 4Bandar Labuan
    Sabah, 54,752 residents    71
  5. 5Petagas
    Sabah, 35,844 residents    71
  6. 6Donggongon
    Sabah, 78,086 residents    70
  7. 7Lahad Datu
    Sabah, 105,622 residents    68
  8. 8Kinarut
    Sabah, 15,716 residents    68
  9. 9Keningau
    Sabah, 77,650 residents    67
  10. 10Papar
    Sabah, 19,278 residents    66

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For commuters

  1. 1Kota Kinabalu
    Sabah, 500,421 residents    87
  2. 2Sandakan
    Sabah, 439,050 residents    85
  3. 3Tawau
    Sabah, 372,615 residents    84
  4. 4Donggongon
    Sabah, 78,086 residents    79
  5. 5Petagas
    Sabah, 35,844 residents    77
  6. 6Lahad Datu
    Sabah, 105,622 residents    67
  7. 7Taman Rajawali
    Sabah, 10,000 residents    61
  8. 8Kinarut
    Sabah, 15,716 residents    60
  9. 9Papar
    Sabah, 19,278 residents    40

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For single professionals

  1. 1Kota Kinabalu
    Sabah, 500,421 residents    78
  2. 2Sandakan
    Sabah, 439,050 residents    75
  3. 3Tawau
    Sabah, 372,615 residents    73
  4. 4Donggongon
    Sabah, 78,086 residents    68
  5. 5Petagas
    Sabah, 35,844 residents    63
  6. 6Lahad Datu
    Sabah, 105,622 residents    44
  7. 7Kinarut
    Sabah, 15,716 residents    37
  8. 8Taman Rajawali
    Sabah, 10,000 residents    29
  9. 9Papar
    Sabah, 19,278 residents    14
  10. 10Kampung Kunak
    Sabah, 13,823 residents    0

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For movers on a budget

  1. 1Kota Kinabalu
    Sabah, 500,421 residents    76
  2. 2Donggongon
    Sabah, 78,086 residents    73
  3. 3Petagas
    Sabah, 35,844 residents    72
  4. 4Sandakan
    Sabah, 439,050 residents    70
  5. 5Tawau
    Sabah, 372,615 residents    70
  6. 6Bandar Labuan
    Sabah, 54,752 residents    60
  7. 7Kinarut
    Sabah, 15,716 residents    59
  8. 8Lahad Datu
    Sabah, 105,622 residents    55
  9. 9Keningau
    Sabah, 77,650 residents    52
  10. 10Papar
    Sabah, 19,278 residents    47

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All profiles in Sabah

ProfileTop placeScorePlaces that pass
Young familyLahad Datu7315
Low-income householdKota Kinabalu7727
Low-income familyKota Kinabalu7315
Single parentLahad Datu7515
Pensioner coupleBandar Labuan7815
Single pensionerBandar Labuan7815
Early retireeSandakan7027
Single professionalKota Kinabalu7810
Young professionalKota Kinabalu819
DINKSKota Kinabalu798
Remote workerKota Kinabalu7627
CommuterKota Kinabalu879
Car-free householdKota Kinabalu858
StudentTaman Rajawali657
First-home buyerKota Kinabalu7615
Budget-constrained moverKota Kinabalu7627
Urban lifestyle seekerKota Kinabalu798
Expat professionalKota Kinabalu8127
Healthcare-first moverKota Kinabalu9015
Nature-focused householdBongawan8027
Cross-border commuterKota Kinabalu2211
Outdoor and mountain loverPapar8127
Rural value seekerTaman Rajawali6727
High-net-worth moverSandakan8027
Lottery winnerKota Kinabalu8227
Climate-resilient relocationPapar6927
Coastal livingPapar8121
Business ownerKota Kinabalu8327
Digital nativeKota Kinabalu6410

Towns of 30,000+ in Sabah