Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Phuket

🙂 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 8.4% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 13.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 13.3% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 34.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kuala Lumpur
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.58 MYR 19.31
$4.68 ฿151
-2.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.83 MYR 122
$46.4 ฿1,502
-37.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.77 MYR 20.13
$8.65 ฿280
-44.86%
Cappuccino
$2.96 MYR 12.48
$3.09 ฿100
-4.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 MYR 3.58
$0.73 ฿23.53
16.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.5 MYR 2.11
$0.37 ฿11.95
35.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.23 MYR 17.82
$2.39 ฿77.4
76.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.95 MYR 25.11
$3.62 ฿117
64.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kuala Lumpur
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.08 MYR 8.78
$2.24 ฿72.5
-7.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1 MYR 4.22
$1.8 ฿58.2
-44.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.64 MYR 6.92
$2.24 ฿72.3
-26.79%
Eggs
$2.29 MYR 9.64
$2.23 ฿72.1
2.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.84 MYR 62.6
$19.31 ฿625
-23.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.52 MYR 19.05
$3.77 ฿122
19.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.51 MYR 40.1
$13.05 ฿422
-27.13%
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 MYR 12.46
$3.28 ฿106
-10.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 MYR 6.85
$1.63 ฿52.6
-0.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.7 MYR 11.37
$2.4 ฿77.7
12.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.51 MYR 6.38
$1.99 ฿64.3
-24.12%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 MYR 5.11
$1.53 ฿49.62
-20.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.4 MYR 5.92
$1.49 ฿48.11
-6.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.21 MYR 5.09
$1.02 ฿32.87
18.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 MYR 2.87
$0.48 ฿15.61
41.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.19 MYR 17.68
$4.32 ฿140
-3.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.11 MYR 76.4
$21.68 ฿702
-16.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.33 MYR 14.06
$1.77 ฿57.3
88.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.39 MYR 18.5
$2.79 ฿90.4
57.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Kuala Lumpur
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.72 MYR 3.06
$1.35 ฿43.74
-46.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.74 MYR 49.49
$11.76 ฿380
-0.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.21 MYR 5.11
$3.15 ฿102
-61.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.13 MYR 4.78
$1 ฿32.3
13.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.59 MYR 19.35
$13.64 ฿442
-66.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.48 MYR 2.01
$1.3 ฿42.2
-63.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40K MYR 168.8K
$27.4K ฿885.2K
46.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33K MYR 139.2K
$33.9K ฿1.1M
-2.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kuala Lumpur
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$64.8 MYR 273
$123 ฿3,970
-47.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.7 MYR 49.34
$13.93 ฿451
-16.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.5 MYR 108
$18.24 ฿590
39.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kuala Lumpur
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.93 MYR 194
$60.8 ฿1,966
-24.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.76 MYR 32.73
$17.11 ฿554
-54.65%
Cinema Ticket
$5.23 MYR 22.03
$9.07 ฿294
-42.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kuala Lumpur
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$266 MYR 1,122
$694 ฿22.5K
-61.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,267 MYR 39.1K
$15.9K ฿514.4K
-41.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kuala Lumpur
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.5 MYR 259
$57.5 ฿1,861
6.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.04 MYR 160
$34.51 ฿1,117
10.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.3 MYR 364
$115 ฿3,727
-25.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 MYR 336
$84.8 ฿2,743
-6.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kuala Lumpur
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$578 MYR 2,437
$611 ฿19.8K
-5.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 MYR 1,566
$442 ฿14.3K
-16.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,061 MYR 4,472
$2,014 ฿65.2K
-47.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$628 MYR 2,649
$1,460 ฿47.2K
-56.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,071 MYR 12.9K
$4,244 ฿137.3K
-27.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,532 MYR 6,459
$2,886 ฿93.4K
-46.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kuala Lumpur
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,342 MYR 5,659
$697 ฿22.5K
92.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.47
5.33
-16.14%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 28, 2025

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

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