Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kota Bharu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Bharu: $692 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Kota Bharu
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Kota Bharu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Kota Bharu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kota Bharu

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $692 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Kota Bharu $692

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,072 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Kota Bharu $1,072

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,452 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Kota Bharu $1,452

Phuket costs about 75% more than Kota Bharu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Kota Bharu are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Kota Bharu 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.18 MYR 8.90

110.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$19.41 MYR 79.2

67.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.58 MYR 18.70

86.68%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.18 MYR 8.89

24.77%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.48 MYR 1.94

95.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.26 MYR 1.05

88.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$4.24 MYR 17.29

-38.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.49 MYR 18.33

-14.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.62 MYR 6.62

7.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$0.92 MYR 3.74

55.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.83 MYR 3.39

84.34%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.61 MYR 6.58

34.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$13.74 MYR 56.1

39.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$2.94 MYR 12.00

12.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$6.65 MYR 27.13

67.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.91 MYR 11.88

1.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.50 MYR 6.12

12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.73 MYR 11.15

-15.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.13 MYR 4.60

88.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.97 MYR 3.94

57.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.12 MYR 4.59

21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.14 MYR 4.64

-1.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.45 MYR 1.84

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.34 MYR 13.61

27.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$19.00 MYR 77.5

-4.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.91 MYR 11.88

-40.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$5.32 MYR 21.71

-47.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.77 MYR 3.12

188.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$12.33 MYR 50.3

78.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.73 MYR 7.05

68.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.37 MYR 1.53

172.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.69 MYR 15.04

3.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$0.52 MYR 2.14

186.54%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$31.5K MYR 128.5K

-15.27%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$29.0K MYR 118.2K

-7.79%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$37.43 MYR 153

165.48%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$8.65 MYR 35.27

30.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$25.39 MYR 104

-31.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$49.63 MYR 202

5.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$4.48 MYR 18.26

68.97%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$125 MYR 508

348.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$10.8K MYR 44.2K

6.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$54.5 MYR 222

15.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$19.29 MYR 78.7

48.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$79.0 MYR 322

21.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$69.6 MYR 284

26.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$248 MYR 1,010

194.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$122 MYR 499

275.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$673 MYR 2,745

211.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$224 MYR 913

446.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$299 MYR 1,221

64.74%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Kota Bharu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Kota Bharu

$122 17.7% 73.4% $338

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Kota Bharu

$230 33.2% 14.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Kota Bharu

$71 10.3% 44.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Kota Bharu

$100 14.5% 19.3% $24

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Kota Bharu

$90 13.1% 25.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Kota Bharu

$59 8.5% 13.1% $8.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Kota Bharu

$19 2.8% 51.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $248 in Kota Bharu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 65% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $19.00 in Kota Bharu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $230 – making Kota Bharu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Kota Bharu

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

568,900

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Phuket Kota Bharu 470 km

From you

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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 Kota Bharu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 75% more than Kota Bharu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $1,037 in Kota Bharu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kota Bharu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 79% less in Kota Bharu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $558 per month in Phuket and $125 in Kota Bharu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kota Bharu, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Kota Bharu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kota Bharu costs $692 versus $1,207 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kota Bharu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.