Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bayan Lepas and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayan Lepas: $735 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Bayan Lepas
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Bayan Lepas Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bayan Lepas

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$735

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bayan Lepas and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $735 in Bayan Lepas versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Bayan Lepas $735
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,214 in Bayan Lepas versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Bayan Lepas $1,214
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,694 in Bayan Lepas versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Bayan Lepas $1,694
Phuket $3,154

Living in Bayan Lepas costs roughly 42% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bayan Lepas 46% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 MYR 12.11

$4.47 ฿151

-33.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.85 MYR 68.7

$32.41 ฿1,094

-48.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 MYR 16.65

$8.81 ฿297

-53.58%

Cappuccino

$2.81 MYR 11.45

$2.83 ฿95.5

-0.71%

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

$0.84 MYR 3.44

$0.87 ฿29.43

-3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.23

$0.49 ฿16.67

12.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 MYR 19.46

$2.56 ฿86.4

86.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MYR 20.14

$3.68 ฿124

34.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.56 MYR 10.44

$1.66 ฿56.0

54.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 MYR 3.94

$1.46 ฿49.35

-33.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 MYR 3.63

$1.50 ฿50.6

-40.67%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.35

$2.09 ฿70.5

-1.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.47 MYR 14.15

$3.30 ฿111

5.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.91 MYR 28.16

$10.91 ฿368

-36.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 MYR 12.66

$2.93 ฿99.0

6.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.47

$1.69 ฿57.1

-5.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 MYR 12.56

$2.25 ฿75.8

36.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.79

$2.08 ฿70.1

-43.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.31

$1.51 ฿51.0

-13.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.90

$1.38 ฿46.56

-13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$1.07 ฿35.99

-28.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.74

$0.52 ฿17.52

28.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 MYR 20.72

$4.20 ฿142

21.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.20 MYR 78.2

$18.79 ฿634

2.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MYR 2.59

$1.45 ฿49.03

-55.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.76 MYR 60.1

$56.7 ฿1,913

-73.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 MYR 6.35

$3.02 ฿102

-48.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$1.47 ฿49.81

-47.62%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

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

$24.53 MYR 99.9

$96.4 ฿3,254

-74.54%

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

$11.64 MYR 47.44

$11.26 ฿380

3.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.20 MYR 127

$16.85 ฿569

85.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.63 MYR 121

$67.2 ฿2,270

-55.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.39 MYR 30.10

$10.73 ฿362

-31.13%

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 MYR 19.66

$7.50 ฿253

-35.60%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.33 MYR 160

$62.4 ฿2,106

-36.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.27 MYR 107

$28.41 ฿959

-7.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 MYR 261

$94.3 ฿3,184

-32.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 MYR 329

$85.8 ฿2,898

-5.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 MYR 804

$716 ฿24.2K

-72.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 MYR 902

$491 ฿16.6K

-54.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 MYR 2,022

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-74.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 MYR 2,316

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-60.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 MYR 3,931

$502 ฿17.0K

92.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.57

-37.16%

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

Last update for Bayan Lepas: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bayan Lepas

$221 30.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 122% $269

Groceries & Markets

Bayan Lepas

$184 * 25.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 44.5% $82

Eating Out

Bayan Lepas

$109 14.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Bayan Lepas

$95 12.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 28.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bayan Lepas

$67 9.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 84.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Bayan Lepas

$39 5.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 109% $43

Getting Around

Bayan Lepas

$19 * 2.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 274% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $197 in Bayan Lepas and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bayan Lepas pays 92% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $17 in Bayan Lepas vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $266 per month, with Bayan Lepas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bayan Lepas

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

1 h behind Bayan Lepas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,600

79,308

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

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

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Bayan Lepas Phuket 350 km

From you

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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

Bayan Lepas vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $735 in Bayan Lepas and $1,278 in Phuket, so Bayan Lepas is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 92% higher in Bayan Lepas, 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: $197 in Bayan Lepas versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayan Lepas – a meal for two runs $17 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Bayan Lepas runs roughly 74% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $735 in Bayan Lepas versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bayan Lepas but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bayan Lepas 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, Bayan Lepas and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Bayan Lepas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.