Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kajang, Selangor and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kajang, Selangor: $925 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kajang, Selangor
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Kajang, Selangor Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kajang, Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$925

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Kajang, Selangor vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Kajang, Selangor $925
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,410 per month in Kajang, Selangor vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Kajang, Selangor $1,410
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,895 per month in Kajang, Selangor vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Kajang, Selangor $1,895
Phuket $3,154

Kajang, Selangor is about 28% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kajang, Selangor and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Kajang, Selangor 32% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 MYR 15.29

$4.47 ฿151

-15.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.15 MYR 73.6

$32.41 ฿1,093

-44.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 MYR 19.60

$8.81 ฿297

-45.18%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.58

$2.83 ฿95.4

1.06%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.19

$0.87 ฿29.41

-9.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 MYR 1.85

$0.49 ฿16.65

-6.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 MYR 18.17

$2.56 ฿86.3

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 MYR 25.02

$3.68 ฿124

67.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 MYR 6.86

$1.66 ฿55.9

1.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 MYR 4.33

$1.46 ฿49.31

-26.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.09

$1.50 ฿50.5

Eggs

$1.65 MYR 6.70

$2.09 ฿70.5

-21.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.37 MYR 74.5

$19.07 ฿643

-3.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.05

$3.30 ฿111

34.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.06 MYR 40.80

$10.91 ฿368

-7.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 MYR 13.91

$2.93 ฿98.9

17.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.84

$1.69 ฿57.0

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 MYR 9.38

$2.25 ฿75.8

2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.13

$2.08 ฿70.0

-27.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 4.99

$1.51 ฿51.0

-18.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.82

$1.38 ฿46.52

21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MYR 4.75

$1.07 ฿35.96

9.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.23

$0.52 ฿17.51

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.42

$4.20 ฿142

2.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 MYR 56.9

$18.79 ฿634

-25.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 MYR 12.14

$1.82 ฿61.5

64.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 MYR 12.23

$2.84 ฿95.8

5.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.04

$1.45 ฿48.98

-48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.39 MYR 50.3

$56.7 ฿1,912

-78.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.08

$3.02 ฿102

-58.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$1.02 ฿34.33

-26.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 MYR 20.34

$3.69 ฿125

35.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.29

$1.47 ฿49.76

-44.90%

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

$43.4K MYR 176.2K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

62.22%

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

$35.4K MYR 143.8K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

32.77%

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

$53.0 MYR 215

$96.4 ฿3,251

-45.03%

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

$9.61 MYR 38.99

$11.26 ฿380

-14.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.69 MYR 104

$16.85 ฿568

52.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.05 MYR 171

$67.2 ฿2,268

-37.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.38 MYR 29.92

$10.73 ฿362

-31.22%

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 MYR 19.91

$7.50 ฿253

-34.53%

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

$234 MYR 951

$476 ฿16.1K

-50.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,442 MYR 18.0K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-60.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 MYR 218

$62.4 ฿2,104

-13.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.39 MYR 66.5

$28.41 ฿958

-42.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 MYR 330

$94.3 ฿3,181

-13.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 MYR 397

$85.8 ฿2,895

14.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,454

$716 ฿24.2K

-49.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 MYR 1,112

$491 ฿16.6K

-44.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 MYR 2,951

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-62.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 MYR 1,993

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-65.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,045 MYR 8,297

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-51.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 MYR 4,285

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-65.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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 Kajang, Selangor: 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

Kajang, Selangor

$274 29.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 79.1% $217

Groceries & Markets

Kajang, Selangor

$259 28%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 2.7% $7.1

Eating Out

Kajang, Selangor

$119 12.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2.6% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Kajang, Selangor

$112 12.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8.6% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kajang, Selangor

$88 9.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 41% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Kajang, Selangor

$52 5.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 58.6% $30

Getting Around

Kajang, Selangor

$20 2.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 246% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $358 in Kajang, Selangor 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Kajang, Selangor versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $266 – making Kajang, Selangor the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kajang, Selangor

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

14:57 2:57 PM

1 h behind Kajang, Selangor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,047,356

79,308

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kajang, Selangor Phuket 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kajang, Selangor
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

Kajang, Selangor vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $925 in Kajang, Selangor, $1,278 in Phuket – Kajang, Selangor comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,387 per month in Kajang, Selangor 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 Kajang, Selangor, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $358 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Kajang, Selangor and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $925 in Kajang, Selangor and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Kajang, Selangor about 28% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Kajang, Selangor, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Kajang, Selangor it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Kajang, Selangor is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 28% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.