Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bintulu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $852 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bintulu

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 Bintulu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $852 in Bintulu.

Phuket $1,294
Bintulu $852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,331 in Bintulu.

Phuket $2,204
Bintulu $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,810 in Bintulu.

Phuket $3,115
Bintulu $1,810

Living in Phuket is roughly 52% more expensive than in Bintulu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Bintulu 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$4.02 MYR 16.39

9.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$18.75 MYR 76.4

72.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$5.74 MYR 23.38

51.57%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.89 MYR 11.80

-5.88%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$0.68 MYR 2.78

36.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.38 MYR 1.53

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.99 MYR 12.17

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$5.19 MYR 21.16

-30.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$2.10 MYR 8.57

-17.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.43 MYR 5.82

1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.32 MYR 5.39

13.64%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.21 MYR 8.99

-1.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$17.39 MYR 70.9

9.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$3.59 MYR 14.63

-5.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$5.95 MYR 24.24

83.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.76 MYR 7.17

67.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.00 MYR 4.06

69.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.71 MYR 6.96

28.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.12 MYR 4.58

89.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$0.55 MYR 2.24

165.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$1.19 MYR 4.87

15.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.75 MYR 3.06

44.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.45 MYR 1.82

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.11 MYR 16.75

7.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$19.47 MYR 79.4

-6.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$3.02 MYR 12.32

-41.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.00 MYR 8.15

44.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.26 MYR 5.14

15.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$16.05 MYR 65.4

241.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.95 MYR 3.89

58.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.82 MYR 3.33

-4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$2.51 MYR 10.21

52.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$0.66 MYR 2.71

125.76%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$44.8K MYR 182.5K

-39.99%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$39.9K MYR 162.4K

-33.89%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$59.5 MYR 242

64.41%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$31.54 MYR 129

-64.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$30.82 MYR 126

-44.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$68.5 MYR 279

-0.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$12.11 MYR 49.34

-9.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$4.51 MYR 18.38

64.75%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$125 MYR 509

324.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$7,487 MYR 30.5K

150.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$65.4 MYR 267

-5.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$35.43 MYR 144

-20.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$78.3 MYR 319

22.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$92.1 MYR 375

-5.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$224 MYR 912

222.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$156 MYR 636

226.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$474 MYR 1,933

311.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$335 MYR 1,366

316.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,775 MYR 7,235

136.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,172 MYR 4,776

181.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$613 MYR 2,498

-19.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.5

23.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bintulu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Bintulu

$156 18.3% 69.3% $353

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Bintulu

$235 27.6% 11.9% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 3.5% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 0.5% $0.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Bintulu

$114 13.3% 4.9% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Bintulu

$78 9.1% 6.8% $5.7

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Bintulu

$26 3.1% 60.4% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $224 in Bintulu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bintulu pays 25% 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 $19 in Bintulu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $235 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

15:42 3:42 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

240,172

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.57 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bintulu 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bintulu

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 Bintulu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 20% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $224 in Bintulu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $852 in Bintulu – Bintulu is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bintulu runs roughly 71% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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

Expats usually find Bintulu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.