Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kota Kinabalu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Kinabalu: $917 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
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Kota Kinabalu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $917 in Kota Kinabalu.

Phuket $1,190
Kota Kinabalu $917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $1,429 in Kota Kinabalu.

Phuket $2,006
Kota Kinabalu $1,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $1,941 in Kota Kinabalu.

Phuket $2,822
Kota Kinabalu $1,941

Living in Phuket is roughly 30% more expensive than in Kota Kinabalu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Kota Kinabalu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$3.57 MYR 14.59

21.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$19.54 MYR 79.8

66.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$4.92 MYR 20.09

71.14%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$2.63 MYR 10.74

6.84%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.60 MYR 2.44

45.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.30 MYR 1.22

53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.39 MYR 9.75

8.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$3.74 MYR 15.27

-2.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.74 MYR 7.11

-1.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.28 MYR 5.23

13.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$2.26 MYR 9.23

-30.97%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$3.46 MYR 14.13

-39.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$28.33 MYR 116

-31.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.69 MYR 15.05

-7.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$6.68 MYR 27.27

66.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$2.24 MYR 9.15

26.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.43 MYR 5.84

13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$1.94 MYR 7.91

14.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$1.99 MYR 8.13

8.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$1.67 MYR 6.81

-10.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$2.13 MYR 8.71

-37.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$0.94 MYR 3.84

13.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.47 MYR 1.93

8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$4.92 MYR 20.10

-10.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$15.84 MYR 64.7

18.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$3.63 MYR 14.81

-52.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$2.47 MYR 10.07

12.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$1.91 MYR 7.80

13.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$41.92 MYR 171

-46.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$1.91 MYR 7.82

58.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.23 MYR 0.94

360.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$0.76 MYR 3.11

88.16%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$42.1K MYR 172.1K

-37.48%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$35.6K MYR 145.5K

-26.47%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$70.5 MYR 288

37.15%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$9.69 MYR 39.56

17.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$32.36 MYR 132

-47.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$52.3 MYR 214

0.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$3.09 MYR 12.64

258.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$5.22 MYR 21.31

46.55%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$141 MYR 575

293.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$6,995 MYR 28.6K

61.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$81.5 MYR 333

-22.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$36.64 MYR 150

-21.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$93.7 MYR 382

3.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$48.75 MYR 199

81.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$425 MYR 1,735

72.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$193 MYR 788

137.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$679 MYR 2,771

209.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$368 MYR 1,501

222.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$1,848 MYR 7,546

88.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$1,099 MYR 4,489

126.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$592 MYR 2,419

-15.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.9

42.82%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Kota Kinabalu

$193 20.9% 57.9% $265

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Kota Kinabalu

$288 31.1% 7.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Kota Kinabalu

$113 12.2% 10.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Kota Kinabalu

$117 12.7% 6.1% $7.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6% 17.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$63 6.8% 7.8% $5.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Kota Kinabalu

$53 5.7% 34.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $425 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kota Kinabalu pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $288, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

23:07 11:07 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

500,425

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kota Kinabalu 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kota Kinabalu

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 Kinabalu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kota Kinabalu wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kota Kinabalu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Kota Kinabalu. 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: $735 in Phuket versus $425 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kota Kinabalu runs roughly 88% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $141 in Kota Kinabalu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $917 in Kota Kinabalu versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kota Kinabalu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kota Kinabalu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kota Kinabalu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $917 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kota Kinabalu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Kota Kinabalu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kota Kinabalu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.