Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Butterworth

For one person, living is cheaper in Butterworth: $913 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
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Butterworth Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Butterworth

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $913 in Butterworth, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Butterworth $913

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,408 in Butterworth, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Butterworth $1,408

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,902 in Butterworth, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Butterworth $1,902

Phuket costs about 40% more than Butterworth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Butterworth are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Butterworth 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.72 MYR 15.16

20.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$19.36 MYR 78.8

67.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.77 MYR 19.43

84.70%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.89 MYR 11.76

-2.08%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$0.73 MYR 2.96

19.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.36 MYR 1.48

36.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.12 MYR 16.78

-37.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.38 MYR 17.82

-15.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.12 MYR 8.61

-21.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$1.10 MYR 4.48

32.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-11.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.24 MYR 9.13

-6.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.69 MYR 55.7

39.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.49 MYR 18.26

-26.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.64 MYR 35.18

26.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$3.06 MYR 12.47

-4.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.71 MYR 6.95

-1.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.23 MYR 9.07

0.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.47 MYR 5.98

41.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.06 MYR 4.33

42.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.09 MYR 4.42

26.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$1.09 MYR 4.43

-1.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.58 MYR 2.38

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.36 MYR 17.76

-3.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$19.00 MYR 77.3

-1.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.93 MYR 11.91

-37.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$4.98 MYR 20.27

-42.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$0.70 MYR 2.84

107.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$10.85 MYR 44.18

422.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.19 MYR 4.83

153.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$0.38 MYR 1.53

168.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$4.85 MYR 19.72

-23.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$0.89 MYR 3.61

65.17%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$43.5K MYR 177.0K

-38.42%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$35.5K MYR 144.4K

-24.75%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$36.81 MYR 150

161.75%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.61 MYR 35.03

30.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$26.45 MYR 108

-36.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$32.93 MYR 134

104.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.90 MYR 24.00

81.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.79 MYR 19.52

56.58%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$240 MYR 977

98.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$10.9K MYR 44.3K

3.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$59.8 MYR 243

4.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$35.01 MYR 143

-18.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$82.5 MYR 336

14.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$69.5 MYR 283

23.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$412 MYR 1,678

73.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$300 MYR 1,223

63.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$813 MYR 3,309

137.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$563 MYR 2,292

154.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$1,966 MYR 8,002

112.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,205 MYR 4,905

152.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.04

37.87%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Butterworth: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Butterworth

$300 32.9% 38.8% $191

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Butterworth

$258 28.3% 2.9% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Butterworth

$72 7.9% 42.3% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Butterworth

$111 12.2% 8.9% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Butterworth

$113 12.3% 7.6% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Butterworth

$43 4.7% 48.3% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Butterworth

$17 1.8% 76.3% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $412 in Butterworth. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $19 in Butterworth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $258 – making Butterworth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

23:56 11:56 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

339,132

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Butterworth 350 km

From you

Phuket
Butterworth

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 Butterworth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $913 in Butterworth – Butterworth comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,370 in Butterworth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Butterworth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $412 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $913 in Butterworth. That makes Butterworth about 29% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 81% less in Butterworth. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Butterworth, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Butterworth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Butterworth – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Butterworth is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 29% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.