Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George Town, Malaysia and Songkhla

For one person, living is cheaper in Songkhla: $837 a month against $952 in George Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in George Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Songkhla
Learn more

Songkhla Living Index

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George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$952

/mo nomad

Songkhla

🇹🇭 Thailand

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in George Town and in Songkhla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $952 in George Town versus $837 in Songkhla.

George Town $952
Songkhla $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,558 in George Town versus $1,340 in Songkhla.

George Town $1,558
Songkhla $1,340

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,164 in George Town versus $1,844 in Songkhla.

George Town $2,164
Songkhla $1,844

Living in George Town is roughly 14% more expensive than in Songkhla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: George Town 30% lower, Songkhla 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 MYR 14.08

$1.76 ฿59.4

96.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.45 MYR 63.0

$24.63 ฿830

-37.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 MYR 19.06

$4.69 ฿158

-0.21%

Cappuccino

$2.75 MYR 11.21

$1.63 ฿54.8

68.71%

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

$0.70 MYR 2.86

$0.67 ฿22.61

4.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 MYR 1.43

$0.25 ฿8.47

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 MYR 10.08

$1.75 ฿58.9

41.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MYR 18.02

$4.76 ฿160

-7.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 MYR 7.62

$1.59 ฿53.7

17.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.27

$0.85 ฿28.79

23.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.05

$1.64 ฿55.3

5.49%

Eggs

$2.22 MYR 9.03

$1.38 ฿46.58

60.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 MYR 55.6

$16.82 ฿567

-18.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MYR 18.23

$2.69 ฿90.6

66.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 MYR 35.43

$10.44 ฿352

-16.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.52

$2.86 ฿96.3

-18.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.94

$1.67 ฿56.3

-12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MYR 9.05

$2.21 ฿74.3

0.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.89

$1.26 ฿42.32

-4.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 MYR 3.73

$1.47 ฿49.66

-37.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MYR 3.47

$1.70 ฿57.5

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 MYR 3.03

$1.11 ฿37.39

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MYR 2.39

$0.91 ฿30.51

-35.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.58 MYR 18.64

$4.25 ฿143

7.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.84 MYR 76.7

$13.46 ฿453

39.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 MYR 9.82

$1.55 ฿52.2

55.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 MYR 14.52

$4.59 ฿155

-22.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.86 ฿28.88

-45.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.01 MYR 48.94

$60.7 ฿2,045

-80.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MYR 5.02

$1.21 ฿40.77

1.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 MYR 2.06

$0.76 ฿25.51

-32.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.53 MYR 26.62

$5.84 ฿197

11.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.36

$1.21 ฿40.92

-32.23%

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

$45.5K MYR 185.6K

$26.3K ฿887.7K

72.91%

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

$34.6K MYR 141.1K

$31.3K ฿1.1M

10.58%

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

$36.85 MYR 150

$85.3 ฿2,873

-56.78%

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

$8.05 MYR 32.78

$12.64 ฿426

-36.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.38 MYR 116

$18.03 ฿608

57.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 MYR 164

$48.35 ฿1,629

-16.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.03 MYR 20.49

$13.08 ฿441

-61.54%

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 MYR 18.40

$5.91 ฿199

-23.52%

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

$168 MYR 686

$571 ฿19.2K

-70.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,958 MYR 20.2K

$11.0K ฿372.1K

-55.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MYR 217

$51.7 ฿1,741

2.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.86 MYR 142

$29.14 ฿982

19.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 MYR 299

$76.7 ฿2,586

-4.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 MYR 289

$77.2 ฿2,602

-8.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 MYR 2,888

$239 ฿8,043

197.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 MYR 1,492

$178 ฿6,009

105.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 MYR 4,497

$592 ฿19.9K

86.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 MYR 3,684

$412 ฿13.9K

119.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,933 ฿65.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,456 ฿49.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,057 MYR 4,306

$801 ฿27.0K

31.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

9.33

-56.70%

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

Last update for George Town: October 26, 2026

Last update for Songkhla: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

George Town

$366 38.5%

Songkhla

$178 21.3% 51.3% $188

Groceries & Markets

George Town

$241 25.3%

Songkhla

$238 28.5% 1.2% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

George Town

$105 11%

Songkhla

$106 12.6% 1% $1.1

Eating Out

George Town

$100 10.5%

Songkhla

$70 8.3% 30.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George Town

$73 7.7%

Songkhla

$116 13.9% 58.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

George Town

$49 5.2%

Songkhla

$60 7.2% 21.9% $11

Getting Around

George Town

$18 1.9%

Songkhla

$69 8.3% 291% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $709 in George Town and $239 in Songkhla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George Town pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15 in George Town vs $25 in Songkhla. Groceries flip the comparison at $241 vs $238, with Songkhla cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 George Town

🇹🇭 Songkhla

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

1 h behind George Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

794,313

61,758

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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George Town Songkhla 200 km

From you

George Town
Songkhla

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

George Town vs Songkhla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Songkhla is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 32% higher in George Town, 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: $709 in George Town versus $239 in Songkhla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in George Town runs roughly 80% less than in Songkhla. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $952 per month in George Town versus $837 in Songkhla – Songkhla is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Songkhla gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, George Town and Songkhla are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Songkhla wins on affordability, George Town on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.