Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bukit Mertajam and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $621 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$621

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bukit Mertajam 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 Bukit Mertajam and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $621 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Bukit Mertajam $621
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $976 in Bukit Mertajam versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Bukit Mertajam $976
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,331 in Bukit Mertajam versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Bukit Mertajam $1,331
Phuket $3,154

Living in Bukit Mertajam costs roughly 51% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bukit Mertajam 54% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 MYR 7.76

$4.47 ฿151

-57.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.97 MYR 85.0

$32.41 ฿1,094

-35.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.98 MYR 16.15

$8.81 ฿297

-54.82%

Cappuccino

$3.14 MYR 12.72

$2.83 ฿95.4

10.95%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.81

$0.87 ฿29.42

-20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.84

$0.49 ฿16.66

-8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 MYR 18.28

$2.56 ฿86.3

76.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 MYR 25.38

$3.68 ฿124

70.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 6.73

$1.66 ฿56.0

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.55

$1.46 ฿49.32

-23.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 MYR 7.91

$1.50 ฿50.5

30.00%

Eggs

$2.55 MYR 10.33

$2.09 ฿70.5

22.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.83 MYR 56.1

$19.07 ฿643

-27.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 MYR 17.89

$3.30 ฿111

33.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.98 MYR 40.48

$10.91 ฿368

-8.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 MYR 13.74

$2.93 ฿98.9

15.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.13

$1.69 ฿57.0

4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 MYR 9.17

$2.25 ฿75.8

0.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 MYR 6.29

$2.08 ฿70.1

-25.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.13

$1.51 ฿51.0

-15.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.58

$1.38 ฿46.54

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.53

$1.07 ฿35.97

4.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.70

$0.52 ฿17.51

28.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MYR 18.04

$4.20 ฿142

5.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.54 MYR 79.2

$18.79 ฿634

3.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 MYR 13.85

$1.82 ฿61.5

87.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 MYR 20.61

$2.84 ฿95.9

78.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.01

$3.02 ฿102

-58.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.02 ฿34.34

16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 MYR 20.07

$3.69 ฿125

34.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.29

$1.47 ฿49.78

-44.90%

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

$43.9K MYR 177.8K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

63.80%

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

$35.5K MYR 144.0K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

33.04%

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

$63.1 MYR 256

$96.4 ฿3,252

-34.53%

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

$8.54 MYR 34.62

$11.26 ฿380

-24.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.67 MYR 108

$16.85 ฿569

58.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.28

$7.50 ฿253

-33.33%

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

$249 MYR 1,009

$476 ฿16.1K

-47.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K MYR 53.2K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

16.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 MYR 286

$62.4 ฿2,105

13.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MYR 168

$28.41 ฿959

45.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 MYR 352

$94.3 ฿3,182

-8.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 MYR 385

$85.8 ฿2,896

10.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$572 MYR 2,321

$502 ฿17.0K

13.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

5.57

-25.13%

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

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bukit Mertajam

$269 43.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 1% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Bukit Mertajam

$132 21.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 7.7% $10

Eating Out

Bukit Mertajam

$105 16.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bukit Mertajam

$98 15.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 26.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 722% $72

Getting Around

Bukit Mertajam

$7.2 * 1.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 879% $63

Accommodation & Living

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Bukit Mertajam pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $21 in Bukit Mertajam vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $266, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

14:42 2:42 PM

1 h behind Bukit Mertajam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

212,329

79,308

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bukit Mertajam Phuket 360 km

From you

Bukit Mertajam
Phuket

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

Bukit Mertajam vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $621 in Bukit Mertajam and $1,278 in Phuket, so Bukit Mertajam is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Bukit Mertajam, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $249 in Bukit Mertajam versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $621 per month in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,278 in Phuket – Bukit Mertajam is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $621 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bukit Mertajam but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bukit Mertajam 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, Bukit Mertajam and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.