Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Terengganu and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Terengganu: $918 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Terengganu
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Kuala Terengganu Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kuala Terengganu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$918

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Kuala Terengganu $918
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,412 in Kuala Terengganu versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Kuala Terengganu $1,412
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,907 in Kuala Terengganu versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Kuala Terengganu $1,907
Phuket $3,115

Living in Kuala Terengganu costs roughly 29% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuala Terengganu 32% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.51 MYR 10.14

$4.39 ฿147

-42.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.19 MYR 93.8

$32.31 ฿1,078

-28.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 MYR 19.35

$8.70 ฿290

-44.94%

Cappuccino

$2.72 MYR 11.01

$2.72 ฿90.9

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

$0.49 MYR 1.99

$0.93 ฿31.06

-47.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 MYR 1.14

$0.50 ฿16.67

-44.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 MYR 16.09

$2.53 ฿84.5

57.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 MYR 18.56

$3.63 ฿121

26.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 MYR 6.92

$1.74 ฿58.1

-1.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.38

$1.45 ฿48.42

-25.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.95

$1.50 ฿50.1

-2.00%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.68

$2.17 ฿72.5

-0.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.52 MYR 54.7

$19.09 ฿637

-29.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.49 MYR 18.16

$3.40 ฿113

32.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.94 MYR 40.21

$10.90 ฿364

-8.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 MYR 13.29

$2.94 ฿98.2

11.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.71

$1.69 ฿56.5

-1.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 MYR 9.80

$2.19 ฿73.2

10.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.12

$2.12 ฿70.9

-28.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.13

$1.46 ฿48.68

-13.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.56

$1.37 ฿45.66

0.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.51

$1.08 ฿35.91

3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.23

$0.55 ฿18.21

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 MYR 17.91

$4.43 ฿148

Wine (Bottle)

$18.83 MYR 76.2

$18.25 ฿609

3.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 12.11

$1.77 ฿59.2

69.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 MYR 17.94

$2.88 ฿96.2

54.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.90

$1.45 ฿48.32

-50.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.03 MYR 48.65

$54.9 ฿1,832

-78.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.80

$1.51 ฿50.5

-21.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MYR 2.28

$0.78 ฿25.90

-28.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.41 MYR 29.98

$3.84 ฿128

92.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 MYR 3.18

$1.49 ฿49.65

-46.98%

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

$44.8K MYR 181.0K

$26.9K ฿897.3K

66.51%

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

$35.3K MYR 142.6K

$26.3K ฿879.4K

33.83%

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

$49.59 MYR 201

$97.8 ฿3,265

-49.30%

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

$9.83 MYR 39.75

$11.29 ฿377

-12.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 MYR 115

$17.19 ฿574

64.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.05 MYR 150

$68.3 ฿2,281

-45.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.47 MYR 26.16

$10.92 ฿365

-40.75%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MYR 19.33

$7.43 ฿248

-35.67%

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

$235 MYR 952

$530 ฿17.7K

-55.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,971 MYR 28.2K

$18.8K ฿626.9K

-62.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 MYR 229

$61.7 ฿2,059

-8.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.64 MYR 140

$28.25 ฿943

22.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MYR 323

$96.0 ฿3,204

-16.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 MYR 305

$86.8 ฿2,898

-13.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 MYR 1,646

$721 ฿24.1K

-43.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 MYR 1,198

$509 ฿17.0K

-41.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 MYR 2,896

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-63.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 MYR 2,205

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-60.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,017 MYR 8,156

$4,192 ฿139.9K

-51.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,175 MYR 4,753

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-64.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

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 Kuala Terengganu: November 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Terengganu

$296 32.3%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 71.8% $213

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Terengganu

$258 28.1%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 3.4% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Terengganu

$111 12.1%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 10.6% $12

Eating Out

Kuala Terengganu

$99 10.8%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 20.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Terengganu

$88 9.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 43.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Terengganu

$47 5.1%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 78.5% $37

Getting Around

Kuala Terengganu

$19 2.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 249% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $407 in Kuala Terengganu and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Kuala Terengganu vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $267 per month, with Kuala Terengganu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Terengganu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:21 7:21 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

1 h behind Kuala Terengganu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

375,424

79,308

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.04 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.49 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuala Terengganu Phuket 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Terengganu
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

Kuala Terengganu vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $918 in Kuala Terengganu and $1,294 in Phuket, so Kuala Terengganu is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,377 in Kuala Terengganu and $1,940 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $407 in Kuala Terengganu versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $918 per month in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,294 in Phuket – Kuala Terengganu is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Kuala Terengganu runs roughly 78% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $918 in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kuala Terengganu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kuala Terengganu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Kuala Terengganu and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Kuala Terengganu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.