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

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 12.1% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 43.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 30.7% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 80% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.65 ฿147

$3.51 MYR 13.85

32.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.11 ฿1,460

$18.61 MYR 73.3

147.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 ฿277

$4.70 MYR 18.52

85.96%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ฿96.2

$2.61 MYR 10.30

16.48%

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

$0.72 ฿22.80

$0.64 MYR 2.53

12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿12.38

$0.36 MYR 1.43

8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿77.2

$2.33 MYR 9.16

4.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 ฿120

$3.56 MYR 14.01

6.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ฿67.9

$1.68 MYR 6.61

27.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 ฿58.9

$1.24 MYR 4.90

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ฿69.2

$1.67 MYR 6.56

31.14%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿71.1

$2.93 MYR 11.54

-23.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.73 ฿625

$26.42 MYR 104

-25.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.79 ฿120

$3.45 MYR 13.59

9.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 ฿429

$7.14 MYR 28.15

89.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 ฿103

$2.66 MYR 10.47

22.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 ฿52.9

$1.13 MYR 4.44

47.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ฿75.7

$3.20 MYR 12.60

-25.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 ฿66.2

$1.98 MYR 7.82

5.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿48.39

$1.47 MYR 5.78

4.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿47.79

$1.75 MYR 6.89

-13.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿31.30

$1.12 MYR 4.41

-11.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.30

$0.48 MYR 1.88

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿135

$4.15 MYR 16.36

2.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.31 ฿643

$27.15 MYR 107

-25.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿56.7

$1.91 MYR 7.51

-6.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ฿87.6

$1.63 MYR 6.40

69.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿44.44

$1.54 MYR 6.08

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿370

$40.82 MYR 161

-71.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿98.4

$1.86 MYR 7.32

67.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿31.48

$0.46 MYR 1.82

115.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.73 ฿435

$5.79 MYR 22.83

137.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ฿41.75

$0.49 MYR 1.95

169.39%

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

$27.2K ฿862.0K

$29.8K MYR 117.4K

-8.63%

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

$34.1K ฿1.1M

$27.9K MYR 109.9K

22.31%

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

$120 ฿3,811

$51.8 MYR 204

132.52%

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

$13.93 ฿441

$9.14 MYR 35.99

52.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿579

$33.16 MYR 131

-44.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 ฿1,928

$42.77 MYR 169

42.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 ฿545

$2.96 MYR 11.66

482.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.71 ฿276

$4.57 MYR 18.00

90.59%

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

$698 ฿22.1K

$132 MYR 519

430.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿498.0K

$4,466 MYR 17.6K

252.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ฿1,824

$59.8 MYR 236

-3.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.24 ฿1,084

$22.69 MYR 89.4

50.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,582

$70.6 MYR 278

60.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.8 ฿2,684

$92.5 MYR 364

-8.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$604 ฿19.1K

$382 MYR 1,506

57.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 ฿13.8K

$166 MYR 652

163.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 ฿65.1K

$656 MYR 2,585

213.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 ฿47.4K

$367 MYR 1,446

308.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,252 ฿134.6K

$1,910 MYR 7,524

122.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,988 ฿94.6K

$1,123 MYR 4,426

165.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$529 ฿16.7K

$609 MYR 2,401

-13.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.8

40.26%

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

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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