Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gombak

For one person, living is cheaper in Gombak: $904 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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 Gombak
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Gombak Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Gombak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gombak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $904 in Gombak.

Phuket $1,278
Gombak $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,437 in Gombak.

Phuket $2,216
Gombak $1,437

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,970 in Gombak.

Phuket $3,154
Gombak $1,970

Living in Phuket is roughly 41% more expensive than in Gombak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Gombak 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.60 MYR 14.67

24.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$24.44 MYR 99.6

32.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.02 MYR 20.47

75.50%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.96 MYR 12.07

-4.39%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.91 MYR 3.73

-4.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.45 MYR 1.82

8.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.28 MYR 13.35

-21.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.76 MYR 23.47

-36.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.92 MYR 7.84

-13.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.07 MYR 4.36

36.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.47 MYR 6.00

2.04%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.76 MYR 7.19

18.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$9.87 MYR 40.23

93.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.35 MYR 13.67

-1.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.68 MYR 39.46

12.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.40 MYR 13.84

-13.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.88 MYR 7.66

-10.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.63 MYR 10.73

-14.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.81 MYR 7.36

14.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.08 MYR 8.49

-27.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.96 MYR 7.99

-29.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.44 MYR 5.85

-25.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.52 MYR 2.11

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.48 MYR 18.26

-6.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$19.92 MYR 81.2

-5.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.68 MYR 10.91

-32.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.44 MYR 18.09

-36.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.82 MYR 3.35

76.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$12.38 MYR 50.4

357.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.20 MYR 4.88

151.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.36 MYR 1.45

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.10 MYR 37.06

-59.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.87 MYR 3.55

68.97%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$46.0K MYR 187.5K

-41.80%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$35.1K MYR 143.1K

-23.98%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$50.0 MYR 204

92.70%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.39 MYR 34.20

34.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$26.39 MYR 108

-36.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$37.05 MYR 151

81.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.93 MYR 24.17

80.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.11 MYR 12.69

141.16%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$282 MYR 1,150

68.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$10.6K MYR 43.0K

6.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$51.7 MYR 211

20.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$29.84 MYR 122

-4.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$76.1 MYR 310

23.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$84.2 MYR 343

1.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$411 MYR 1,673

74.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$285 MYR 1,163

72.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$732 MYR 2,984

163.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$608 MYR 2,475

135.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,943 MYR 7,917

114.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,168 MYR 4,760

160.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$542 MYR 2,209

-7.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.51

23.50%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gombak: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Gombak

$285 31.6% 41.9% $206

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Gombak

$250 27.7% 6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Gombak

$85 9.4% 31.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gombak

$109 12% 10.7% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gombak

$113 12.5% 7.3% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Gombak

$43 4.8% 47.4% $39

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Gombak

$19 2.1% 73.6% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $411 in Gombak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gombak pays 8% 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 $24 in Gombak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $250 per month, with Gombak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Gombak

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

06:05 6:05 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

41,699

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Gombak 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Gombak

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 Gombak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gombak wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gombak the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 7% 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 $411 in Gombak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Gombak – a meal for two runs $24 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

Expats usually find Gombak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.