Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bangi

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangi: $938 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Bangi
Learn more

Bangi Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bangi

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bangi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Bangi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $938 in Bangi.

Phuket $1,278
Bangi $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,320 in Bangi.

Phuket $2,216
Bangi $1,320

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,703 in Bangi.

Phuket $3,154
Bangi $1,703

Living in Phuket is roughly 36% more expensive than in Bangi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Bangi 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.40 MYR 13.80

31.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$13.69 MYR 55.5

136.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.21 MYR 13.02

174.45%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.92 MYR 11.85

-3.08%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.78 MYR 3.15

11.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.60 MYR 2.42

-18.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.44 MYR 18.01

-42.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.34 MYR 25.70

-41.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.61 MYR 6.53

3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.76 MYR 3.10

92.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.45 MYR 5.87

3.45%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.74 MYR 7.07

20.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$18.27 MYR 74.1

4.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.45 MYR 18.06

-25.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.89 MYR 44.17

0.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.28 MYR 13.31

-10.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.68 MYR 6.82

0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.90 MYR 15.80

-42.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.60 MYR 6.51

30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.47 MYR 5.96

2.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.72 MYR 6.98

-19.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.37 MYR 5.57

-21.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.52 MYR 2.09

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.30 MYR 17.44

-2.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.03 MYR 56.9

33.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.88 MYR 11.69

-36.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.04 MYR 12.33

-6.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.72 MYR 2.90

101.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$12.41 MYR 50.3

356.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.01 MYR 4.11

199.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.76 MYR 3.08

34.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.66 MYR 39.18

-61.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.52 MYR 2.13

182.69%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$44.0K MYR 178.6K

-39.18%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$35.0K MYR 142.2K

-23.84%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$52.8 MYR 214

82.45%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.10 MYR 45.05

1.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$28.71 MYR 116

-41.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$33.59 MYR 136

100.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.97 MYR 24.21

79.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.84 MYR 19.65

54.96%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$238 MYR 967

99.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$4,531 MYR 18.4K

148.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$55.1 MYR 223

13.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$16.70 MYR 67.8

70.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$81.8 MYR 332

15.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$95.9 MYR 389

-10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$413 MYR 1,677

73.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$293 MYR 1,190

67.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$553 MYR 2,244

248.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$331 MYR 1,344

331.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,251 MYR 9,134

85.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,219 MYR 4,944

149.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,230 MYR 4,992

-59.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.06

37.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bangi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bangi

$293 31.3% 40.3% $198

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bangi

$264 28.2% 0.7% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bangi

$93 9.9% 25.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bangi

$112 12% 7.9% $9.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bangi

$112 12% 7.8% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bangi

$43 4.6% 47.4% $39

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bangi

$20 2.1% 71.6% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $413 in Bangi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangi pays about 2.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $14 in Bangi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $264 per month, with Bangi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Bangi

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

22:23 10:23 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

45,042

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bangi 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bangi

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

Phuket vs Bangi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangi wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bangi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $413 in Bangi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $938 in Bangi – Bangi is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bangi 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, Phuket and Bangi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.