Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kedah

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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 Kedah
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Kedah Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kedah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $877 in Kedah.

Phuket $1,278
Kedah $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,399 in Kedah.

Phuket $2,216
Kedah $1,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,920 in Kedah.

Phuket $3,154
Kedah $1,920

Living in Phuket is roughly 46% more expensive than in Kedah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kedah 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.72 MYR 15.07

20.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$12.32 MYR 49.96

163.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.56 MYR 18.50

93.20%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.91 MYR 11.81

-2.75%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.77 MYR 3.12

12.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.39 MYR 1.59

25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.24 MYR 17.17

-39.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.36 MYR 17.66

-15.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.88 MYR 7.62

-11.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.06 MYR 4.29

37.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.72 MYR 6.95

-12.79%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.19 MYR 8.87

-4.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.55 MYR 54.9

40.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.34 MYR 17.60

-23.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.84 MYR 35.84

23.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.94 MYR 11.92

-0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.63 MYR 6.62

3.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.75 MYR 11.15

-18.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.45 MYR 5.89

43.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.10 MYR 4.46

37.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.09 MYR 4.41

26.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.13 MYR 4.59

-5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.57 MYR 2.32

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.62 MYR 18.73

-9.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$18.76 MYR 76.1

0.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.98 MYR 12.09

-38.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$5.33 MYR 21.61

-46.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.76 MYR 3.09

90.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$12.85 MYR 52.1

340.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.66 MYR 6.73

81.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.38 MYR 1.53

168.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.29 MYR 29.55

-49.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.60 MYR 2.45

145.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$45.6K MYR 185.0K

-41.32%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$35.8K MYR 145.3K

-25.54%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$36.47 MYR 148

164.19%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.66 MYR 39.15

16.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$29.48 MYR 120

-42.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$34.63 MYR 140

94.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.85 MYR 27.78

56.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.79 MYR 19.43

56.58%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$388 MYR 1,571

22.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$10.7K MYR 43.2K

5.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$58.9 MYR 239

5.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$34.76 MYR 141

-18.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$81.6 MYR 331

15.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$70.7 MYR 286

21.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$358 MYR 1,450

100.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$258 MYR 1,046

90.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$712 MYR 2,888

170.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$607 MYR 2,459

135.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,930 MYR 7,825

116.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,258 MYR 5,098

142.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,339 MYR 5,429

-62.49%

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 Kedah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kedah

$258 29.4% 47.4% $233

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kedah

$257 29.3% 3.6% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kedah

$76 8.6% 39.3% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kedah

$111 12.6% 9.2% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kedah

$113 12.9% 7.2% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kedah

$44 5% 46.2% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kedah

$19 2.2% 72.5% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $358 in Kedah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kedah pays about 2.7 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 $12 in Kedah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $257 per month, with Kedah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Kedah

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

23:55 11:55 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

417,800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kedah 290 km

From you

Phuket
Kedah

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 Kedah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $877 in Kedah, so Kedah is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% 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 $358 in Kedah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $388 in Kedah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $877 in Kedah versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kedah but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kedah 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 Kedah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Kedah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.