Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kepong and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kepong: $896 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Kepong
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Kepong Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kepong

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$896

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $896 per month in Kepong vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Kepong $896
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,392 per month in Kepong vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Kepong $1,392
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,888 per month in Kepong vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Kepong $1,888
Phuket $3,154

Kepong is about 30% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kepong and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Kepong 34% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 MYR 15.23

$4.47 ฿151

-16.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.13 MYR 98.3

$32.41 ฿1,094

-25.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 MYR 20.31

$8.81 ฿297

-43.36%

Cappuccino

$2.98 MYR 12.13

$2.83 ฿95.5

5.30%

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

$0.86 MYR 3.49

$0.87 ฿29.43

-1.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.69

$0.49 ฿16.67

-16.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.35

$2.56 ฿86.4

28.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 MYR 22.78

$3.68 ฿124

51.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.09

$1.66 ฿56.0

4.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.20

$1.46 ฿49.35

-29.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.77

$1.50 ฿50.6

-5.33%

Eggs

$1.82 MYR 7.43

$2.09 ฿70.5

-12.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 MYR 40.02

$19.07 ฿644

-48.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 MYR 13.52

$3.30 ฿111

0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 MYR 37.84

$10.91 ฿368

-14.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 MYR 13.85

$2.93 ฿99.0

16.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 MYR 7.07

$1.69 ฿57.1

2.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MYR 10.69

$2.25 ฿75.8

16.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.77

$2.08 ฿70.1

-20.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.93

$1.51 ฿51.0

-3.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 7.02

$1.38 ฿46.56

24.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$1.07 ฿35.99

23.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.08

$0.52 ฿17.52

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.37 MYR 17.82

$4.20 ฿142

4.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 MYR 56.4

$18.79 ฿634

-26.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.77

$1.82 ฿61.5

45.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$2.84 ฿95.9

6.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 MYR 3.34

$1.45 ฿49.03

-43.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.44 MYR 50.7

$56.7 ฿1,913

-78.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 MYR 3.86

$3.02 ฿102

-68.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$1.02 ฿34.36

-65.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 MYR 36.10

$3.69 ฿125

140.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.59

$1.47 ฿49.81

-40.14%

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

$43.6K MYR 177.6K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

62.79%

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

$34.8K MYR 141.9K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

30.50%

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

$49.67 MYR 202

$96.4 ฿3,254

-48.45%

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

$8.29 MYR 33.78

$11.26 ฿380

-26.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.18 MYR 111

$16.85 ฿569

61.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.69 MYR 166

$67.2 ฿2,270

-39.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.25 MYR 25.47

$10.73 ฿362

-41.75%

Cinema Ticket

$4.85 MYR 19.75

$7.50 ฿253

-35.33%

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

$238 MYR 968

$476 ฿16.1K

-50.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,440 MYR 18.1K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-60.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 MYR 217

$62.4 ฿2,106

-14.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.40 MYR 99.4

$28.41 ฿959

-14.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 MYR 338

$94.3 ฿3,184

-12.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 MYR 354

$85.8 ฿2,898

1.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 MYR 1,654

$716 ฿24.2K

-43.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 MYR 1,184

$491 ฿16.6K

-40.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 MYR 2,906

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-62.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 MYR 2,242

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-61.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,993 MYR 8,122

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-52.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,166 MYR 4,751

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-61.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 MYR 2,647

$502 ฿17.0K

29.33%

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 Kepong: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kepong

$291 32.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 68.9% $200

Groceries & Markets

Kepong

$227 25.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 17.3% $39

Eating Out

Kepong

$113 12.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 7.5% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Kepong

$111 12.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 9.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kepong

$85 9.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 46.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Kepong

$50 5.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 63.2% $32

Getting Around

Kepong

$18 2.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 283% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $406 in Kepong 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 run about 29% higher in Kepong, 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 Kepong versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $266 – making Kepong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kepong

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

1 h behind Kepong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,960

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kepong Phuket 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kepong
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

Kepong vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $896 in Kepong, $1,278 in Phuket – Kepong comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,344 per month in Kepong 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 Kepong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 78% less in Kepong. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $238 per month in Kepong and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Kepong, where all-in costs run around $896, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Kepong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kepong – 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, Kepong is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 30% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.