Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Johor Bahru

For one person, living is cheaper in Johor Bahru: $1,080 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Johor Bahru
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Johor Bahru Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Johor Bahru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,080 in Johor Bahru.

Phuket $1,278
Johor Bahru $1,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,611 in Johor Bahru.

Phuket $2,216
Johor Bahru $1,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,141 in Johor Bahru.

Phuket $3,154
Johor Bahru $2,141

Living in Phuket is roughly 18% more expensive than in Johor Bahru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Johor Bahru 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.57 MYR 14.52

25.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$18.54 MYR 75.5

74.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.03 MYR 20.47

75.15%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.00 MYR 12.20

-5.67%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$0.85 MYR 3.45

2.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.56 MYR 2.30

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.54 MYR 18.48

-43.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.27 MYR 25.50

-41.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.70 MYR 6.92

-2.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$1.05 MYR 4.28

39.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.42 MYR 5.77

5.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.73 MYR 7.03

20.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$18.23 MYR 74.2

4.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.57 MYR 18.60

-27.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.51 MYR 42.77

3.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$3.28 MYR 13.37

-10.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.74 MYR 7.09

-2.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$3.91 MYR 15.93

-42.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.64 MYR 6.67

26.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.41 MYR 5.72

7.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.65 MYR 6.70

-16.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$1.37 MYR 5.56

-21.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.56 MYR 2.26

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.19 MYR 17.05

0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.20 MYR 57.8

32.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.92 MYR 11.90

-37.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.03 MYR 12.32

-6.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$0.70 MYR 2.83

107.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$12.36 MYR 50.3

358.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.94 MYR 3.84

221.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$0.75 MYR 3.07

36.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$9.95 MYR 40.50

-62.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$0.83 MYR 3.37

77.11%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$43.9K MYR 178.6K

-38.97%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$35.7K MYR 145.4K

-25.30%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$52.7 MYR 214

82.93%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.01 MYR 44.82

2.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$28.28 MYR 115

-40.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$41.28 MYR 168

62.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.80 MYR 23.59

85.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.81 MYR 19.59

55.93%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$239 MYR 974

98.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$4,518 MYR 18.4K

149.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$54.6 MYR 222

14.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$16.53 MYR 67.3

71.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$81.3 MYR 331

15.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$98.3 MYR 400

-12.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$523 MYR 2,130

36.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$416 MYR 1,692

18.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$983 MYR 4,000

96.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$707 MYR 2,879

102.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$2,002 MYR 8,147

108.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,214 MYR 4,940

150.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,076 MYR 4,378

-53.30%

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 Johor Bahru: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Johor Bahru

$416 38.5% 15.3% $75

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Johor Bahru

$269 24.9% 0.9% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Johor Bahru

$92 8.5% 26.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Johor Bahru

$113 10.4% 7.4% $9.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Johor Bahru

$120 11.2% 1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Johor Bahru

$51 4.7% 38.1% $31

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Johor Bahru

$20 1.8% 71.9% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $523 in Johor Bahru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johor Bahru pays about 2.1 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 $19 in Johor Bahru. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $269, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

23:57 11:57 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

858,118

💱 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Johor Bahru 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Johor Bahru

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 Johor Bahru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,080 in Johor Bahru, so Johor Bahru is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% 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 $523 in Johor Bahru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $239 in Johor Bahru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Johor Bahru – a meal for two runs $19 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Johor Bahru gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.