Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lumut, Perak and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Lumut, Perak: $988 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Lumut, Perak
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Lumut, Perak Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$988

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $988 in Lumut, Perak versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Lumut, Perak $988
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,498 in Lumut, Perak versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Lumut, Perak $1,498
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,008 in Lumut, Perak versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Lumut, Perak $2,008
Phuket $3,154

Living in Lumut, Perak costs roughly 23% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lumut, Perak 27% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 MYR 14.85

$4.47 ฿151

-18.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.00 MYR 48.89

$32.41 ฿1,094

-62.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 MYR 20.03

$8.81 ฿297

-44.27%

Cappuccino

$2.95 MYR 12.01

$2.83 ฿95.5

4.24%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.13

$0.87 ฿29.43

-11.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.49 ฿16.67

-22.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 MYR 15.27

$2.56 ฿86.4

46.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.23 MYR 25.36

$3.68 ฿124

69.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 MYR 8.38

$1.66 ฿56.0

24.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 MYR 4.34

$1.46 ฿49.35

-26.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MYR 7.83

$1.50 ฿50.6

28.00%

Eggs

$2.41 MYR 9.81

$2.09 ฿70.5

15.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 MYR 56.4

$19.07 ฿644

-27.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 MYR 18.46

$3.30 ฿111

37.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 MYR 40.06

$10.91 ฿368

-9.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 MYR 13.52

$2.93 ฿99.0

13.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 MYR 7.52

$1.69 ฿57.1

9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 MYR 9.08

$2.25 ฿75.8

-0.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 MYR 6.38

$2.08 ฿70.1

-24.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.18

$1.51 ฿51.0

-15.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.61

$1.38 ฿46.56

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 MYR 4.73

$1.07 ฿35.99

8.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$0.52 ฿17.52

36.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MYR 17.45

$4.20 ฿142

1.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.87 MYR 81.0

$18.79 ฿634

5.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.12

$1.82 ฿61.5

90.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 MYR 20.52

$2.84 ฿95.9

77.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$1.45 ฿49.03

-49.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.54 MYR 51.1

$56.7 ฿1,913

-77.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MYR 5.02

$3.02 ฿102

-59.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 MYR 5.12

$1.02 ฿34.36

23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.86 MYR 19.79

$3.69 ฿125

31.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.55

$1.47 ฿49.81

-40.82%

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

$43.7K MYR 178.2K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

63.34%

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

$34.7K MYR 141.5K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

30.09%

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

$62.5 MYR 255

$96.4 ฿3,254

-35.09%

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

$8.99 MYR 36.62

$11.26 ฿380

-20.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.83 MYR 105

$16.85 ฿569

53.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.64 MYR 170

$67.2 ฿2,270

-38.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.57 MYR 26.79

$10.73 ฿362

-38.77%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 19.62

$7.50 ฿253

-35.87%

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

$242 MYR 987

$476 ฿16.1K

-49.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K MYR 54.3K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

18.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 MYR 294

$62.4 ฿2,106

15.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.00 MYR 171

$28.41 ฿959

47.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 MYR 347

$94.3 ฿3,184

-9.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 MYR 393

$85.8 ฿2,898

12.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 MYR 1,692

$716 ฿24.2K

-42.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 MYR 1,201

$491 ฿16.6K

-39.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$722 MYR 2,942

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-62.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 MYR 2,293

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-60.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,757 MYR 7,160

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-57.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,304 MYR 5,314

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-57.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$375 MYR 1,527

$502 ฿17.0K

-25.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

5.57

-25.13%

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

Last update for Lumut, Perak: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lumut, Perak

$295 29.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 66.5% $196

Groceries & Markets

Lumut, Perak

$273 27.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 2.6% $7.2

Clothing & Footwear

Lumut, Perak

$133 13.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8.4% $11

Eating Out

Lumut, Perak

$115 11.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.8% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lumut, Perak

$97 9.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 27.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Lumut, Perak

$51 5.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 60.4% $31

Getting Around

Lumut, Perak

$23 2.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 207% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $415 in Lumut, Perak and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 34% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $12 in Lumut, Perak vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $266, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Lumut, Perak

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

05:08 5:08 AM

1 h behind Lumut, Perak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,595

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

Lumut, Perak Phuket 480 km

From you

Lumut, Perak
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

Lumut, Perak vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lumut, Perak wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lumut, Perak the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Lumut, Perak. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $415 in Lumut, Perak versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lumut, Perak – a meal for two runs $12 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $988 per month in Lumut, Perak versus $1,278 in Phuket – Lumut, Perak is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Lumut, Perak is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

It comes down to priorities – Lumut, Perak wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.