Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kuching Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kuching

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 28.9% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 55.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 40.4% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 101.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.68 ฿151
$2.8 MYR 11.82
67.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.4 ฿1,502
$20.06 MYR 84.6
131.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.65 ฿280
$4.69 MYR 19.76
84.43%
Cappuccino
$3.09 ฿100
$2.57 MYR 10.83
20.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 ฿23.53
$0.71 MYR 3
2.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ฿11.95
$0.32 MYR 1.37
15.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.39 ฿77.4
$2.77 MYR 11.68
-13.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62 ฿117
$3.58 MYR 15.08
1.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.24 ฿72.5
$1.95 MYR 8.24
14.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.8 ฿58.2
$1.13 MYR 4.77
59.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 ฿72.3
$1.01 MYR 4.27
121.78%
Eggs
$2.23 ฿72.1
$2.13 MYR 9
4.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.31 ฿625
$9.36 MYR 39.48
106.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.77 ฿122
$3.85 MYR 16.23
-2.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.05 ฿422
$7.88 MYR 33.24
65.61%
Apples (1kg)
$3.28 ฿106
$3.02 MYR 12.72
8.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 ฿52.6
$1.1 MYR 4.64
48.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.4 ฿77.7
$2.62 MYR 11.06
-8.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ฿64.3
$1.84 MYR 7.75
8.15%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿49.62
$1.15 MYR 4.85
33.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.49 ฿48.11
$1.22 MYR 5.16
22.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 ฿32.87
$1.68 MYR 7.07
-39.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ฿15.61
$0.52 MYR 2.2
-7.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.32 ฿140
$4.14 MYR 17.47
4.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.68 ฿702
$19.41 MYR 81.8
11.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿57.3
$3.72 MYR 15.7
-52.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ฿90.4
$3.38 MYR 14.26
-17.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 ฿43.74
$0.25 MYR 1.06
440.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.76 ฿380
$11.57 MYR 48.8
1.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 ฿102
$0.91 MYR 3.83
246.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1 ฿32.3
$1.14 MYR 4.83
-12.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.64 ฿442
$1.94 MYR 8.17
603.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.3 ฿42.2
$0.5 MYR 2.11
160.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K ฿885.2K
$44.9K MYR 189.4K
-39.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.9K ฿1.1M
$36.1K MYR 152.3K
-6.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$123 ฿3,970
$42.14 MYR 178
191.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ฿451
$8.94 MYR 37.71
55.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.24 ฿590
$24.81 MYR 105
-26.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.8 ฿1,966
$29.84 MYR 126
103.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.11 ฿554
$9.89 MYR 41.73
73.00%
Cinema Ticket
$9.07 ฿294
$4.62 MYR 19.47
96.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$694 ฿22.5K
$144 MYR 606
382.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K ฿514.4K
$6,013 MYR 25.4K
164.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 ฿1,861
$66 MYR 278
-12.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.51 ฿1,117
$31.77 MYR 134
8.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 ฿3,727
$85.6 MYR 361
34.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ฿2,743
$72.2 MYR 304
17.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$611 ฿19.8K
$278 MYR 1,171
119.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$442 ฿14.3K
$208 MYR 877
112.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,014 ฿65.2K
$571 MYR 2,409
252.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,460 ฿47.2K
$390 MYR 1,645
274.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,244 ฿137.3K
$1,881 MYR 7,934
125.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,886 ฿93.4K
$1,330 MYR 5,607
117.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$697 ฿22.5K
$565 MYR 2,384
23.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
4.27
24.82%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

Last update for Kuching: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.