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

🙂 Solo nomad: Phuket is 4.1% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 45.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 28.7% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 78.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.59 ฿147

$3.52 MYR 13.92

30.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.83 ฿1,497

$19.10 MYR 75.5

145.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿278

$4.79 MYR 18.93

81.63%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ฿93.5

$2.67 MYR 10.53

9.36%

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

$0.68 ฿21.86

$0.68 MYR 2.69

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿12.66

$0.39 MYR 1.56

2.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ฿80.2

$2.33 MYR 9.22

7.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 ฿122

$3.47 MYR 13.72

9.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ฿69.1

$1.68 MYR 6.63

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 ฿60.1

$1.25 MYR 4.94

50.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ฿69.0

$1.68 MYR 6.62

28.57%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿71.0

$2.91 MYR 11.50

-23.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.57 ฿626

$25.95 MYR 102

-24.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.80 ฿122

$3.64 MYR 14.36

4.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 ฿429

$7.09 MYR 28.01

89.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 ฿104

$2.66 MYR 10.52

22.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.5

$1.13 MYR 4.47

42.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ฿73.8

$3.24 MYR 12.82

-28.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 ฿65.8

$1.97 MYR 7.78

4.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.3

$1.52 MYR 5.99

5.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 ฿46.13

$1.71 MYR 6.74

-15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿32.91

$1.13 MYR 4.45

-8.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.34

$0.47 MYR 1.85

2.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ฿144

$4.02 MYR 15.88

11.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.18 ฿613

$27.13 MYR 107

-29.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿58.3

$1.91 MYR 7.55

-4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿86.0

$1.63 MYR 6.44

65.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 ฿44.04

$1.51 MYR 5.97

-8.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.76 ฿376

$40.65 MYR 161

-71.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿99.3

$1.87 MYR 7.37

66.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.09

$0.44 MYR 1.72

127.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.74 ฿439

$6.00 MYR 23.69

129.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ฿41.49

$0.46 MYR 1.83

182.61%

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

$27.4K ฿874.5K

$29.6K MYR 117.0K

-7.68%

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

$33.0K ฿1.1M

$28.1K MYR 110.8K

17.68%

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

$125 ฿3,993

$51.2 MYR 202

144.05%

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

$13.74 ฿439

$9.14 MYR 36.11

50.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.61 ฿595

$32.66 MYR 129

-43.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.6 ฿1,936

$43.05 MYR 170

40.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 ฿548

$2.87 MYR 11.33

497.56%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 ฿288

$4.76 MYR 18.80

89.29%

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

$698 ฿22.3K

$133 MYR 524

425.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K ฿515.1K

$4,434 MYR 17.5K

263.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 ฿1,893

$59.0 MYR 233

0.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.86 ฿1,115

$22.78 MYR 90.0

53.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ฿3,651

$71.1 MYR 281

60.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,743

$94.6 MYR 374

-9.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿19.8K

$378 MYR 1,492

63.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.0K

$162 MYR 641

169.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,075 ฿66.3K

$645 MYR 2,548

221.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿48.2K

$369 MYR 1,456

309.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,764 ฿120.3K

$1,893 MYR 7,478

98.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 ฿86.1K

$1,130 MYR 4,463

138.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 ฿16.9K

$612 MYR 2,417

-13.62%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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