Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kota Bharu Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kota Bharu

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 62.4% more expensive than Kota Bharu without rent, and 91.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 82.7% more expensive than Kota Bharu without rent, and 111% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Kota Bharu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.68 ฿151
$1.82 MYR 7.66
157.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.4 ฿1,502
$21.31 MYR 89.9
117.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.65 ฿280
$4.21 MYR 17.76
105.46%
Cappuccino
$3.09 ฿100
$2.32 MYR 9.79
33.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 ฿23.53
$0.45 MYR 1.9
62.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ฿11.95
$0.27 MYR 1.15
37.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.39 ฿77.4
$4.27 MYR 18.02
-44.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62 ฿117
$4.17 MYR 17.58
-13.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Kota Bharu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.24 ฿72.5
$1.57 MYR 6.62
42.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.8 ฿58.2
$0.76 MYR 3.19
136.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 ฿72.3
$0.83 MYR 3.51
169.88%
Eggs
$2.23 ฿72.1
$1.55 MYR 6.55
43.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.31 ฿625
$15.17 MYR 64
27.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.77 ฿122
$2.95 MYR 12.43
27.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.05 ฿422
$6.19 MYR 26.11
110.82%
Apples (1kg)
$3.28 ฿106
$1.4 MYR 5.88
134.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 ฿52.6
$1.43 MYR 6.04
13.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.4 ฿77.7
$1.38 MYR 5.8
73.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ฿64.3
$0.9 MYR 3.8
121.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿49.62
$0.83 MYR 3.5
84.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.49 ฿48.11
$1.16 MYR 4.89
28.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 ฿32.87
$0.92 MYR 3.86
10.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ฿15.61
$0.4 MYR 1.71
20.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.32 ฿140
$3.07 MYR 12.97
40.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.68 ฿702
$14.59 MYR 61.5
48.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿57.3
$1.4 MYR 5.9
26.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ฿90.4
$3.43 MYR 14.45
-18.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Kota Bharu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 ฿43.74
$0.74 MYR 3.12
82.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.76 ฿380
$11.63 MYR 49.04
1.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 ฿102
$0.69 MYR 2.91
356.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1 ฿32.3
$0.54 MYR 2.26
85.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.64 ฿442
$3.64 MYR 15.35
274.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.3 ฿42.2
$0.5 MYR 2.11
160.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K ฿885.2K
$31K MYR 130.6K
-11.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.9K ฿1.1M
$27.2K MYR 114.8K
24.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Kota Bharu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$123 ฿3,970
$38.1 MYR 161
221.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ฿451
$8.15 MYR 34.38
70.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.24 ฿590
$26.59 MYR 112
-31.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Kota Bharu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.8 ฿1,966
$36.56 MYR 154
66.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.11 ฿554
$5.77 MYR 24.33
196.53%
Cinema Ticket
$9.07 ฿294
$4.26 MYR 17.98
112.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Kota Bharu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$694 ฿22.5K
$116 MYR 489
499.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K ฿514.4K
$6,301 MYR 26.6K
152.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Kota Bharu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 ฿1,861
$53.4 MYR 225
7.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.51 ฿1,117
$18.9 MYR 79.7
82.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 ฿3,727
$61.7 MYR 260
86.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ฿2,743
$51.8 MYR 219
63.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Kota Bharu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$611 ฿19.8K
$264 MYR 1,114
131.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$442 ฿14.3K
$141 MYR 595
213.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,014 ฿65.2K
$845 MYR 3,565
138.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,460 ฿47.2K
$478 MYR 2,015
205.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,244 ฿137.3K
$1,767 MYR 7,450
140.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,886 ฿93.4K
$1,061 MYR 4,474
172.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Kota Bharu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$697 ฿22.5K
$325 MYR 1,371
114.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
4.16
28.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

Last update for Kota Bharu: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.