Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Langkawi and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Langkawi: $537 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Langkawi
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Langkawi Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Langkawi

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$537

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $537 per month in Langkawi vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Langkawi $537
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $770 per month in Langkawi vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Langkawi $770
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $1,003 per month in Langkawi vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Langkawi $1,003
Phuket $2,867

Langkawi is about 56% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Langkawi and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Langkawi 60% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.27 MYR 13.35

$4.58 ฿154

-28.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.71 MYR 80.5

$32.48 ฿1,090

-39.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.38 MYR 26.08

$8.55 ฿287

-25.38%

Cappuccino

$1.65 MYR 6.73

$2.72 ฿91.4

-39.34%

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

$0.82 MYR 3.37

$0.94 ฿31.38

-12.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.18

$0.49 ฿16.46

8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 MYR 7.04

$2.59 ฿86.9

-33.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 MYR 9.23

$3.83 ฿129

-40.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.11

$1.74 ฿58.3

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 MYR 5.37

$1.43 ฿48.02

-8.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

Eggs

$1.79 MYR 7.31

$2.17 ฿73.0

-17.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 MYR 71.4

$19.15 ฿643

-8.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿374

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.24

$2.95 ฿98.9

-31.53%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 MYR 4.05

$1.68 ฿56.4

-41.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.87

$2.30 ฿77.1

-26.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.84

$2.13 ฿71.6

-21.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 MYR 3.10

$1.36 ฿45.74

-44.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.60

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 MYR 15.06

$4.26 ฿143

-13.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.82 MYR 36.04

$18.19 ฿611

-51.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 MYR 3.82

$1.74 ฿58.5

-45.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$2.79 ฿93.7

-57.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.4

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿740

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.7

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.57

$1.49 ฿50.1

-40.94%

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

$24.4K MYR 99.7K

$26.7K ฿895.4K

-8.49%

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

$26.7K ฿896.4K

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

$36.65 MYR 150

$99.4 ฿3,335

-63.12%

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

$11.28 ฿379

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿583

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.82 MYR 101

$52.3 ฿1,755

-52.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿254

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

$558 ฿18.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿385.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,110

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,226

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,955

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$308 MYR 1,256

$729 ฿24.5K

-57.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 MYR 998

$460 ฿15.4K

-46.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 MYR 1,530

$2,096 ฿70.3K

-82.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 MYR 1,305

$1,222 ฿41.0K

-73.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,168 MYR 4,771

$3,459 ฿116.1K

-66.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 MYR 5,066

$493 ฿16.5K

151.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Langkawi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Langkawi

$244 45.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 88.2% $216

Groceries & Markets

Langkawi

$148 * 27.5%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 81.4% $120

Eating Out

Langkawi

$84 15.6%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 45.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Langkawi

$37 * 6.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 249% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Langkawi

$25 * 4.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 172% $43

Getting Around

Langkawi

- * 0%

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Langkawi

- * 0%

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $308 in Langkawi 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.

Salaries run about 152% higher in Langkawi, 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 $20.00 in Langkawi versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $148 vs $268 – making Langkawi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Langkawi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

05:36 5:36 AM

1 h behind Langkawi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,212

79,308

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.57 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.56 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Langkawi Phuket 230 km

From you

Langkawi
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

Langkawi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $537 in Langkawi, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 125% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $806 per month in Langkawi 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 Langkawi, 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 $20.00 in Langkawi 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 $537 in Langkawi and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 125%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Langkawi, where all-in costs run around $537, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Langkawi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $537 in Langkawi to $1,207 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Langkawi. 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.