Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheras and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheras: $1,139 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Cheras
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Cheras Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Cheras

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,139

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,139 per month in Cheras vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Cheras $1,139
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,560 per month in Cheras vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Cheras $1,560
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,982 per month in Cheras vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Cheras $1,982
Phuket $3,154

Cheras is about 11% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cheras and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Cheras 16% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.61 MYR 14.72

$4.47 ฿151

-19.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.03 MYR 97.9

$32.41 ฿1,094

-25.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 MYR 20.44

$8.81 ฿297

-43.02%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 12.17

$2.83 ฿95.5

5.65%

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

$0.91 MYR 3.71

$0.87 ฿29.43

4.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.32

$0.49 ฿16.67

16.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.33 MYR 17.63

$2.56 ฿86.4

69.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.32 MYR 25.74

$3.68 ฿124

71.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MYR 7.69

$1.66 ฿56.0

13.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 MYR 4.36

$1.46 ฿49.35

-26.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.07

$1.50 ฿50.6

-0.67%

Eggs

$1.78 MYR 7.26

$2.09 ฿70.5

-14.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.03 MYR 73.5

$19.07 ฿644

-5.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 18.59

$3.30 ฿111

38.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.89 MYR 44.39

$10.91 ฿368

-0.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 MYR 14.59

$2.93 ฿99.0

22.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.58

$1.69 ฿57.1

10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 MYR 10.73

$2.25 ฿75.8

16.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$2.08 ฿70.1

-19.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 MYR 8.48

$1.51 ฿51.0

37.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.73

$1.38 ฿46.56

19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 MYR 5.43

$1.07 ฿35.99

24.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MYR 2.05

$0.52 ฿17.52

-3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MYR 17.53

$4.20 ฿142

2.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.15 MYR 57.7

$18.79 ฿634

-24.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 MYR 10.82

$1.82 ฿61.5

46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 MYR 12.83

$2.84 ฿95.9

10.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.11

$1.45 ฿49.03

-47.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.7

$56.7 ฿1,913

-78.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 MYR 3.84

$3.02 ฿102

-68.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

$1.02 ฿34.36

-64.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 MYR 37.38

$3.69 ฿125

148.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 MYR 3.52

$1.47 ฿49.81

-41.50%

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

$45.0K MYR 183.5K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

68.22%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.0K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

34.21%

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

$49.55 MYR 202

$96.4 ฿3,254

-48.57%

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

$10.91 MYR 44.46

$11.26 ฿380

-3.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.88 MYR 114

$16.85 ฿569

65.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 MYR 212

$67.2 ฿2,270

-22.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.66 MYR 27.12

$10.73 ฿362

-37.93%

Cinema Ticket

$4.99 MYR 20.35

$7.50 ฿253

-33.47%

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

$164 MYR 667

$476 ฿16.1K

-65.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,411 MYR 18.0K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-60.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 MYR 218

$62.4 ฿2,106

-14.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.08 MYR 123

$28.41 ฿959

5.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 MYR 334

$94.3 ฿3,184

-13.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 MYR 396

$85.8 ฿2,898

13.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 MYR 1,574

$716 ฿24.2K

-46.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 MYR 1,886

$491 ฿16.6K

-5.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 MYR 2,713

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-65.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 MYR 1,995

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-65.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,001 MYR 8,155

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-52.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,081 MYR 4,402

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-64.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,161 MYR 4,730

$502 ฿17.0K

131.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

5.57

-27.11%

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

Last update for Cheras: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cheras

$463 40.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 6% $28

Groceries & Markets

Cheras

$269 23.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 1% $2.8

Eating Out

Cheras

$120 10.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.4% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Cheras

$118 10.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 3.1% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheras

$88 7.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 40.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Cheras

$62 5.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 32.5% $20

Getting Around

Cheras

$18 1.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 287% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $386 in Cheras versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cheras are about 2.3 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Cheras versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Cheras vs $266 in Phuket – so Phuket wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Cheras

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

00:39 12:39 AM

1 h behind Cheras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

440,000

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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Highest

Between locations

Cheras Phuket 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cheras
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

Cheras vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,708 per month in Cheras and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cheras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $386 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,139 in Cheras and $1,278 in Phuket. That’s a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $164 per month in Cheras and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,139 in Cheras and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Cheras – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.