Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kuala Lumpur

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 9.2% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 15.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 15.3% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 53.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.68 ฿151
$4.58 MYR 19.31
2.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.4 ฿1,502
$28.83 MYR 122
60.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.65 ฿280
$4.77 MYR 20.13
81.34%
Cappuccino
$3.09 ฿100
$2.96 MYR 12.48
4.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 ฿23.53
$0.85 MYR 3.58
-14.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ฿11.95
$0.5 MYR 2.11
-26.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.39 ฿77.4
$4.23 MYR 17.82
-43.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62 ฿117
$5.95 MYR 25.11
-39.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.24 ฿72.5
$2.08 MYR 8.78
7.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.8 ฿58.2
$1 MYR 4.22
80.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 ฿72.3
$1.64 MYR 6.92
36.59%
Eggs
$2.23 ฿72.1
$2.29 MYR 9.64
-2.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.31 ฿625
$14.84 MYR 62.6
30.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.77 ฿122
$4.52 MYR 19.05
-16.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.05 ฿422
$9.51 MYR 40.1
37.22%
Apples (1kg)
$3.28 ฿106
$2.95 MYR 12.46
11.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 ฿52.6
$1.62 MYR 6.85
0.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.4 ฿77.7
$2.7 MYR 11.37
-11.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ฿64.3
$1.51 MYR 6.38
31.79%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿49.62
$1.21 MYR 5.11
26.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.49 ฿48.11
$1.4 MYR 5.92
6.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 ฿32.87
$1.21 MYR 5.09
-15.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ฿15.61
$0.68 MYR 2.87
-29.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.32 ฿140
$4.19 MYR 17.68
3.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.68 ฿702
$18.11 MYR 76.4
19.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿57.3
$3.33 MYR 14.06
-46.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ฿90.4
$4.39 MYR 18.5
-36.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 ฿43.74
$0.72 MYR 3.06
87.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.76 ฿380
$11.74 MYR 49.49
0.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 ฿102
$1.21 MYR 5.11
160.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1 ฿32.3
$1.13 MYR 4.78
-11.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.64 ฿442
$4.59 MYR 19.35
197.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.3 ฿42.2
$0.48 MYR 2.01
170.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K ฿885.2K
$40K MYR 168.8K
-31.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.9K ฿1.1M
$33K MYR 139.2K
2.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$123 ฿3,970
$64.8 MYR 273
89.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ฿451
$11.7 MYR 49.34
19.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.24 ฿590
$25.5 MYR 108
-28.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.8 ฿1,966
$45.93 MYR 194
32.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.11 ฿554
$7.76 MYR 32.73
120.49%
Cinema Ticket
$9.07 ฿294
$5.23 MYR 22.03
73.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$694 ฿22.5K
$266 MYR 1,122
160.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K ฿514.4K
$9,267 MYR 39.1K
71.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 ฿1,861
$61.5 MYR 259
-6.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.51 ฿1,117
$38.04 MYR 160
-9.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 ฿3,727
$86.3 MYR 364
33.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ฿2,743
$79.6 MYR 336
6.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$611 ฿19.8K
$578 MYR 2,437
5.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$442 ฿14.3K
$371 MYR 1,566
19.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,014 ฿65.2K
$1,061 MYR 4,472
89.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,460 ฿47.2K
$628 MYR 2,649
132.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,244 ฿137.3K
$3,071 MYR 12.9K
38.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,886 ฿93.4K
$1,532 MYR 6,459
88.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$697 ฿22.5K
$1,342 MYR 5,659
-48.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
4.47
19.24%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 28, 2025

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