Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kajang, Selangor

For one person, living is cheaper in Kajang, Selangor: $925 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Kajang, Selangor
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Kajang, Selangor Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kajang, Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kajang, Selangor

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $925 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Kajang, Selangor $925

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,410 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Kajang, Selangor $1,410

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,895 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Kajang, Selangor $1,895

Phuket costs about 38% more than Kajang, Selangor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Kajang, Selangor are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Kajang, Selangor 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.77 MYR 15.28

18.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$18.15 MYR 73.6

78.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.83 MYR 19.59

82.40%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.86 MYR 11.58

-1.05%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.79 MYR 3.18

10.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.46 MYR 1.84

6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.48 MYR 18.16

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.17 MYR 25.00

-40.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.69 MYR 6.85

-1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.07 MYR 4.33

36.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.50 MYR 6.09

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.65 MYR 6.70

26.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$18.37 MYR 74.5

3.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.45 MYR 18.04

-25.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.06 MYR 40.77

8.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.43 MYR 13.90

-14.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.69 MYR 6.83

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.31 MYR 9.37

-2.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.51 MYR 6.13

37.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.23 MYR 4.98

22.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.68 MYR 6.81

-17.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.17 MYR 4.75

-8.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.55 MYR 2.23

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.29 MYR 17.41

-2.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.03 MYR 56.9

33.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.99 MYR 12.13

-39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.01 MYR 12.22

-5.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.75 MYR 3.04

93.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$12.39 MYR 50.2

357.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.25 MYR 5.07

141.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.75 MYR 3.05

36.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.01 MYR 20.33

-26.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.81 MYR 3.29

81.48%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$43.4K MYR 176.1K

-38.36%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$35.4K MYR 143.7K

-24.68%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$53.0 MYR 215

81.93%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.61 MYR 38.96

17.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$25.69 MYR 104

-34.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$42.05 MYR 170

59.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$7.38 MYR 29.90

45.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.91 MYR 19.90

52.75%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$234 MYR 950

103.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$4,442 MYR 18.0K

153.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$53.7 MYR 218

16.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$16.39 MYR 66.4

73.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$81.4 MYR 330

15.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$98.0 MYR 397

-12.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$358 MYR 1,453

99.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$274 MYR 1,111

79.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$727 MYR 2,949

164.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$491 MYR 1,991

191.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,045 MYR 8,291

104.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,056 MYR 4,282

188.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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 Kajang, Selangor: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kajang, Selangor

$274 29.6% 44.2% $217

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kajang, Selangor

$259 28% 2.7% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kajang, Selangor

$88 9.6% 29.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kajang, Selangor

$112 12.1% 7.9% $9.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kajang, Selangor

$119 12.8% 2.5% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kajang, Selangor

$52 5.6% 36.9% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kajang, Selangor

$20 2.2% 71.1% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $358 in Kajang, Selangor. 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 $18 in Kajang, Selangor. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $259 – making Kajang, Selangor the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Kajang, Selangor

🕒 Local time

12:31 12:31 PM

13:31 1:31 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,047,356

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kajang, Selangor 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kajang, Selangor

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 Kajang, Selangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $925 in Kajang, Selangor – Kajang, Selangor comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,387 in Kajang, Selangor. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kajang, Selangor, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $358 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $18 in Kajang, Selangor. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $925 in Kajang, Selangor. That makes Kajang, Selangor about 28% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Kajang, Selangor, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Kajang, Selangor it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kajang, Selangor – 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, Kajang, Selangor is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 28% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.