Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kemaman and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kemaman: $877 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Kemaman
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Kemaman Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kemaman

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $877 per month in Kemaman vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Kemaman $877
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,352 per month in Kemaman vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Kemaman $1,352
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $1,827 per month in Kemaman vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Kemaman $1,827
Phuket $2,867

Kemaman is about 27% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kemaman and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Kemaman 35% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.62 MYR 10.70

$4.58 ฿153

-42.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.65 MYR 59.8

$32.48 ฿1,086

-54.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.38 MYR 17.89

$8.55 ฿286

-48.77%

Cappuccino

$3.01 MYR 12.29

$2.72 ฿91.0

10.66%

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

$0.51 MYR 2.08

$0.94 ฿31.25

-45.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.49 ฿16.39

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MYR 13.10

$2.59 ฿86.6

23.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 MYR 23.61

$3.83 ฿128

51.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MYR 7.70

$1.74 ฿58.1

8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 MYR 4.14

$1.43 ฿47.82

-29.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 MYR 3.92

$1.53 ฿51.0

-37.25%

Eggs

$1.14 MYR 4.64

$2.17 ฿72.7

-47.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 MYR 40.04

$19.15 ฿640

-48.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.39

$3.30 ฿110

-0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.63 MYR 39.27

$11.14 ฿372

-13.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 MYR 14.41

$2.95 ฿98.5

19.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 MYR 7.66

$1.68 ฿56.1

11.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 MYR 10.86

$2.30 ฿76.8

15.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.05

$2.13 ฿71.3

-18.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.78

$1.53 ฿51.1

40.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.23

$1.36 ฿45.55

48.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MYR 5.82

$1.12 ฿37.44

27.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$0.55 ฿18.24

-12.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.66 MYR 18.99

$4.26 ฿142

9.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.79 MYR 80.8

$18.19 ฿608

8.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 MYR 11.08

$1.74 ฿58.2

56.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.79

$2.79 ฿93.3

65.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MYR 2.98

$2.22 ฿74.1

-67.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.09 MYR 49.32

$22.06 ฿737

-45.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MYR 5.02

$2.91 ฿97.3

-57.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.56

$1.01 ฿33.79

-62.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.88 MYR 36.22

$3.83 ฿128

131.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.52 MYR 2.14

$1.49 ฿49.85

-65.10%

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

$42.1K MYR 171.6K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

57.69%

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

$32.9K MYR 134.4K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

23.36%

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

$48.98 MYR 200

$99.4 ฿3,321

-50.71%

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

$8.30 MYR 33.87

$11.28 ฿377

-26.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.03 MYR 110

$17.36 ฿580

55.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.79 MYR 170

$52.3 ฿1,747

-20.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.05 MYR 28.75

$10.85 ฿362

-35.02%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.88

$7.57 ฿253

-35.67%

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

$124 MYR 507

$558 ฿18.7K

-77.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K MYR 42.5K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-9.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 MYR 210

$62.9 ฿2,102

-18.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.07 MYR 123

$28.58 ฿955

5.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 MYR 313

$96.1 ฿3,213

-20.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.5 MYR 349

$88.1 ฿2,943

-2.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 MYR 1,837

$729 ฿24.4K

-38.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 MYR 1,090

$460 ฿15.4K

-41.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$772 MYR 3,148

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-63.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$532 MYR 2,169

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-56.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,748 MYR 7,129

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-49.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,220 MYR 4,978

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-50.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

5.57

-19.03%

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

Last update for Kemaman: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kemaman

$267 30.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 72.1% $193

Groceries & Markets

Kemaman

$245 27.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 9.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Kemaman

$110 12.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.1% $14

Eating Out

Kemaman

$101 11.6%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 19.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kemaman

$84 9.6%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 51.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Kemaman

$52 5.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 30.8% $16

Getting Around

Kemaman

$18 2.1%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 114% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $450 in Kemaman versus $729 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 $15.00 in Kemaman versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $268 – making Kemaman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kemaman

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

08:04 8:04 AM

1 h behind Kemaman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,582

79,308

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kemaman Phuket 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kemaman
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

Kemaman vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,315 per month in Kemaman and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kemaman, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Kemaman and $32.00 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 $877 in Kemaman and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 38%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kemaman, where all-in costs run around $877, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Kemaman it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kemaman – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Kemaman. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.