Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaysia and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Malaysia: $908 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Malaysia
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Malaysia Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$908

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Malaysia is 13.2% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 23.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Malaysia is 16.2% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 35.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.68 MYR 15.03

$4.35 ฿146

-15.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.24 MYR 78.5

$32.45 ฿1,087

-40.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.82 MYR 19.69

$8.42 ฿282

-42.76%

Cappuccino

$2.87 MYR 11.70

$2.81 ฿94.0

2.14%

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

$0.81 MYR 3.30

$0.87 ฿29.29

-6.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.67

$0.46 ฿15.39

-10.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 MYR 15.32

$2.59 ฿86.6

44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 MYR 19.45

$3.64 ฿122

30.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 MYR 7.74

$1.71 ฿57.2

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.32

$1.45 ฿48.42

-26.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.05

$1.56 ฿52.3

-5.13%

Eggs

$2.16 MYR 8.83

$2.10 ฿70.3

2.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.27 MYR 54.2

$19.53 ฿654

-32.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 MYR 16.60

$3.40 ฿114

19.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.71 MYR 35.56

$11.14 ฿373

-21.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 MYR 12.40

$2.83 ฿94.8

7.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.80

$1.62 ฿54.3

2.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.59

$2.22 ฿74.5

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 MYR 6.46

$2.15 ฿71.9

-26.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.99

$1.49 ฿49.95

-18.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.23

$1.33 ฿44.40

-3.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MYR 4.77

$1.07 ฿35.72

9.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.27

$0.51 ฿17.01

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MYR 18.41

$4.38 ฿147

2.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.23 MYR 78.5

$18.77 ฿629

2.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 MYR 12.13

$1.74 ฿58.3

70.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 MYR 16.51

$2.78 ฿92.9

45.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.94

$2.17 ฿72.6

-66.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 MYR 50.8

$22.28 ฿746

-44.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$3.02 ฿101

-60.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 MYR 3.88

$1.06 ฿35.43

-10.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 MYR 24.92

$3.71 ฿124

64.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 MYR 2.69

$1.43 ฿47.88

-53.85%

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

$41.1K MYR 167.7K

$26.3K ฿882.1K

55.85%

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

$34.5K MYR 141.0K

$26.2K ฿877.3K

31.74%

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

$55.4 MYR 226

$96.7 ฿3,236

-42.74%

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

$10.14 MYR 41.40

$11.41 ฿382

-11.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.39 MYR 112

$17.11 ฿573

60.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.46 MYR 153

$52.8 ฿1,768

-29.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.20 MYR 29.39

$11.07 ฿371

-34.96%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 20.44

$7.65 ฿256

-34.51%

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

$191 MYR 778

$555 ฿18.6K

-65.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,217 MYR 33.5K

$11.3K ฿377.7K

-27.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 MYR 258

$63.4 ฿2,123

-0.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.41 MYR 136

$28.61 ฿958

16.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 MYR 327

$96.7 ฿3,238

-17.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 MYR 294

$88.6 ฿2,967

-18.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 MYR 1,636

$735 ฿24.6K

-45.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$272 MYR 1,112

$458 ฿15.3K

-40.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 MYR 2,880

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-66.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 MYR 1,909

$1,187 ฿39.7K

-60.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,042 MYR 8,337

$3,493 ฿116.9K

-41.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,181 MYR 4,822

$2,491 ฿83.4K

-52.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$917 MYR 3,745

$501 ฿16.8K

83.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

5.57

-24.06%

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

Last update for Malaysia: October 4, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaysia

$272 29.9%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 68.1% $186

Groceries & Markets

Malaysia

$253 27.8%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Malaysia

$112 12.3%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 11.6% $13

Eating Out

Malaysia

$111 12.3%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 7% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaysia

$93 10.2%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 34.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Malaysia

$47 5.2%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 43.5% $21

Getting Around

Malaysia

$21 2.3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 84.7% $18

Good to know

🇲🇾 Malaysia

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

12:45 12:45 PM

1 h behind Malaysia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,447,385

79,308

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

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Malaysia Phuket 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Malaysia
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

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Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaysia and Phuket

THB, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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