Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johor Bahru and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Johor Bahru: $1,080 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Johor Bahru
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Johor Bahru Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,080

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,080 in Johor Bahru versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Johor Bahru $1,080
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,611 in Johor Bahru versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Johor Bahru $1,611
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,141 in Johor Bahru versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Johor Bahru $2,141
Phuket $3,154

Living in Johor Bahru costs roughly 15% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Johor Bahru 21% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.46

$4.47 ฿151

-20.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.54 MYR 75.2

$32.41 ฿1,094

-42.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 MYR 20.39

$8.81 ฿297

-42.91%

Cappuccino

$3.00 MYR 12.15

$2.83 ฿95.4

6.01%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.44

$0.87 ฿29.42

-2.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.29

$0.49 ฿16.66

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 MYR 18.41

$2.56 ฿86.3

77.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 MYR 25.40

$3.68 ฿124

70.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MYR 6.89

$1.66 ฿56.0

2.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.26

$1.46 ฿49.32

-28.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.75

$1.50 ฿50.5

-5.33%

Eggs

$1.73 MYR 7.00

$2.09 ฿70.5

-17.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 MYR 73.9

$19.07 ฿643

-4.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.57 MYR 18.52

$3.30 ฿111

38.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.51 MYR 42.59

$10.91 ฿368

-3.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.32

$2.93 ฿98.9

11.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 MYR 7.06

$1.69 ฿57.0

2.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 MYR 15.86

$2.25 ฿75.8

73.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.65

$2.08 ฿70.1

-21.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.70

$1.51 ฿51.0

-6.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.67

$1.38 ฿46.54

19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MYR 5.54

$1.07 ฿35.97

28.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.25

$0.52 ฿17.51

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MYR 16.98

$4.20 ฿142

-0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 MYR 57.6

$18.79 ฿634

-24.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 MYR 11.85

$1.82 ฿61.5

60.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MYR 12.27

$2.84 ฿95.9

6.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.82

$1.45 ฿49.00

-51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.36 MYR 50.1

$56.7 ฿1,912

-78.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 MYR 3.82

$3.02 ฿102

-68.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$1.02 ฿34.34

-26.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 MYR 40.34

$3.69 ฿125

169.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 MYR 3.35

$1.47 ฿49.78

-43.54%

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

$43.9K MYR 177.9K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

63.85%

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

$35.7K MYR 144.8K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

33.87%

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

$52.7 MYR 214

$96.4 ฿3,252

-45.33%

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

$11.01 MYR 44.64

$11.26 ฿380

-2.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.28 MYR 115

$16.85 ฿569

67.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.28 MYR 167

$67.2 ฿2,269

-38.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.80 MYR 23.50

$10.73 ฿362

-45.95%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 19.51

$7.50 ฿253

-35.87%

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

$239 MYR 970

$476 ฿16.1K

-49.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,518 MYR 18.3K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-59.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 MYR 221

$62.4 ฿2,105

-12.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.53 MYR 67.0

$28.41 ฿959

-41.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 MYR 330

$94.3 ฿3,182

-13.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.3 MYR 398

$85.8 ฿2,896

14.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$523 MYR 2,121

$716 ฿24.2K

-26.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 MYR 1,685

$491 ฿16.6K

-15.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$983 MYR 3,984

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-49.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 MYR 2,867

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-50.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,002 MYR 8,114

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-52.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,214 MYR 4,920

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-60.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,076 MYR 4,361

$502 ฿17.0K

114.15%

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 Johor Bahru: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johor Bahru

$416 38.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 18.1% $75

Groceries & Markets

Johor Bahru

$269 24.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 0.9% $2.3

Eating Out

Johor Bahru

$120 11.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1% $1.2

Clothing & Footwear

Johor Bahru

$113 10.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johor Bahru

$92 8.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 35.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Johor Bahru

$51 4.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 61.6% $31

Getting Around

Johor Bahru

$20 1.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 255% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $523 in Johor Bahru and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johor Bahru pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19 in Johor Bahru vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $266, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

17:37 5:37 PM

1 h behind Johor Bahru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

858,118

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Johor Bahru Phuket 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Johor Bahru
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

Johor Bahru vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,080 in Johor Bahru and $1,278 in Phuket, so Johor Bahru is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Johor Bahru is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $523 in Johor Bahru versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $239 in Johor Bahru versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Johor Bahru – a meal for two runs $19 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Johor Bahru 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, Johor Bahru and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.