Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kuala Terengganu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Terengganu: $918 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Terengganu
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Kuala Terengganu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Kuala Terengganu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kuala Terengganu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $918 in Kuala Terengganu.

Phuket $1,294
Kuala Terengganu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,412 in Kuala Terengganu.

Phuket $2,204
Kuala Terengganu $1,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,907 in Kuala Terengganu.

Phuket $3,115
Kuala Terengganu $1,907

Living in Phuket is roughly 41% more expensive than in Kuala Terengganu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Kuala Terengganu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$2.51 MYR 10.14

74.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$23.19 MYR 93.8

39.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$4.79 MYR 19.35

81.63%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$2.72 MYR 11.01

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$0.49 MYR 1.99

89.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.28 MYR 1.14

78.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$3.98 MYR 16.09

-36.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$4.59 MYR 18.56

-20.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.71 MYR 6.92

1.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.08 MYR 4.38

34.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.47 MYR 5.95

2.04%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.15 MYR 8.68

0.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$13.52 MYR 54.7

41.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.49 MYR 18.16

-24.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$9.94 MYR 40.21

9.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$3.29 MYR 13.29

-10.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.66 MYR 6.71

1.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$2.42 MYR 9.80

-9.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$1.51 MYR 6.12

40.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$1.27 MYR 5.13

14.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$1.38 MYR 5.56

-0.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$1.12 MYR 4.51

-3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.55 MYR 2.23

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$4.43 MYR 17.91

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$18.83 MYR 76.2

-3.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$3.00 MYR 12.11

-41.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$4.44 MYR 17.94

-35.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$0.72 MYR 2.90

101.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$12.03 MYR 48.65

356.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.19 MYR 4.80

26.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$0.56 MYR 2.28

39.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$7.41 MYR 29.98

-48.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$0.79 MYR 3.18

88.61%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$44.8K MYR 181.0K

-39.94%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$35.3K MYR 142.6K

-25.28%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$49.59 MYR 201

97.24%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$9.83 MYR 39.75

14.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$28.33 MYR 115

-39.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$37.05 MYR 150

84.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$6.47 MYR 26.16

68.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$4.78 MYR 19.33

55.44%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$235 MYR 952

125.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$6,971 MYR 28.2K

169.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$56.7 MYR 229

8.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$34.64 MYR 140

-18.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$79.9 MYR 323

20.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$75.4 MYR 305

15.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$407 MYR 1,646

77.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$296 MYR 1,198

71.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$716 MYR 2,896

172.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$545 MYR 2,205

156.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$2,017 MYR 8,156

107.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$1,175 MYR 4,753

180.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.06

37.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kuala Terengganu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Kuala Terengganu

$296 32.3% 41.8% $213

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Kuala Terengganu

$258 28.1% 3.3% $8.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Kuala Terengganu

$88 9.6% 30.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Kuala Terengganu

$111 12.1% 9.6% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Kuala Terengganu

$99 10.8% 17% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Kuala Terengganu

$47 5.1% 44% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Kuala Terengganu

$19 2.1% 71.4% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $407 in Kuala Terengganu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $23 in Kuala Terengganu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $258 per month, with Kuala Terengganu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Kuala Terengganu

🕒 Local time

11:48 11:48 AM

12:48 12:48 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

375,424

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.04 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kuala Terengganu 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kuala Terengganu

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 Kuala Terengganu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $918 in Kuala Terengganu, so Kuala Terengganu is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,377 in Kuala Terengganu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $407 in Kuala Terengganu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $918 in Kuala Terengganu – Kuala Terengganu is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Kuala Terengganu runs roughly 78% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $918 in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kuala Terengganu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kuala Terengganu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Kuala Terengganu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Kuala Terengganu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.