Comparación del coste de vida entre Phuket y Johor Bahru Comparación del coste de vida entre Phuket y Johor Bahru

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $966 in Johor Bahru.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,378 in Johor Bahru.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,791 in Johor Bahru.

Living in Phuket is roughly 28% more expensive than Johor Bahru, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Johor Bahru 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$3.53 MYR 13.93

31.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$18.69 MYR 73.8

150.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$4.76 MYR 18.82

85.71%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$3.01 MYR 11.90

-0.33%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.85 MYR 3.35

-12.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.49 MYR 1.93

-24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$3.51 MYR 13.85

-30.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$6.76 MYR 26.71

-46.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.80 MYR 7.11

25.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$0.98 MYR 3.89

87.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$1.24 MYR 4.89

80.65%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$1.84 MYR 7.26

26.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$10.67 MYR 42.16

84.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$3.55 MYR 14.01

2.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$8.25 MYR 32.60

58.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.66 MYR 10.51

27.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.46 MYR 5.76

12.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$2.57 MYR 10.16

-6.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.25 MYR 4.93

62.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$1.14 MYR 4.51

36.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$1.34 MYR 5.30

11.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.94 MYR 3.71

8.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.52 MYR 2.04

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$4.17 MYR 16.47

6.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$14.50 MYR 57.3

30.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$2.68 MYR 10.59

-33.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.92 MYR 11.53

-5.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.72 MYR 2.86

94.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$11.81 MYR 46.65

-2.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$0.97 MYR 3.84

221.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$1.02 MYR 4.04

-1.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$9.09 MYR 35.92

55.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$0.47 MYR 1.84

187.23%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$34.8K MYR 137.4K

-21.87%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$28.1K MYR 111.0K

17.10%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$40.87 MYR 161

205.80%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$9.23 MYR 36.44

47.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$30.64 MYR 121

-39.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$35.09 MYR 139

75.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$5.82 MYR 22.99

189.35%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$4.90 MYR 19.35

87.55%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$191 MYR 755

265.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$6,900 MYR 27.3K

125.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$49.07 MYR 194

17.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$19.14 MYR 75.6

84.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$54.2 MYR 214

108.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$39.65 MYR 157

117.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$468 MYR 1,848

31.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$396 MYR 1,565

12.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$843 MYR 3,331

142.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$599 MYR 2,366

149.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$2,090 MYR 8,254

80.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$1,190 MYR 4,700

122.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$1,155 MYR 4,562

-54.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

4.07

30.96%

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Phuket: April 27, 2026

Última actualización para Johor Bahru: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $468 in Johor Bahru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johor Bahru pays 120% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $19.00 in Johor Bahru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $218 per month, with Johor Bahru cheaper across the board.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Phuket vs Johor Bahru: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Phuket and Johor Bahru differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,232 vs $966 including rent). Johor Bahru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Johor Bahru earns 120% less. 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: $616 in Phuket versus $468 in Johor Bahru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Johor Bahru – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,232 per month in Phuket versus $966 in Johor Bahru – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $966 in Johor Bahru versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Johor Bahru but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Johor Bahru the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Johor Bahru are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Johor Bahru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.