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

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 24.9% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 59.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 37.1% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 101.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.65 ฿149
$2.89 MYR 11.42
60.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.11 ฿1,474
$19.78 MYR 78.2
133.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.74 ฿279
$4.76 MYR 18.81
83.61%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ฿97.1
$2.45 MYR 9.69
24.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ฿23.03
$0.70 MYR 2.77
2.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ฿12.50
$0.30 MYR 1.17
30.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 ฿78.0
$2.90 MYR 11.44
-15.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 ฿121
$3.60 MYR 14.21
5.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 ฿68.6
$1.87 MYR 7.40
14.44%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 ฿59.5
$1.12 MYR 4.43
66.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ฿69.9
$1.02 MYR 4.05
114.71%
Eggs
$2.25 ฿71.8
$2.19 MYR 8.65
2.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.73 ฿631
$9.74 MYR 38.47
102.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.79 ฿121
$3.85 MYR 15.23
-1.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.55 ฿433
$8.02 MYR 31.69
68.95%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 ฿104
$2.99 MYR 11.80
8.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 ฿53.4
$1.10 MYR 4.36
51.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.39 ฿76.5
$2.53 MYR 10.00
-5.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.09 ฿66.9
$1.82 MYR 7.18
14.84%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿48.88
$1.12 MYR 4.42
36.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 ฿48.27
$1.24 MYR 4.92
21.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 ฿31.62
$1.68 MYR 6.62
-41.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.46
$0.49 MYR 1.93
4.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 ฿137
$4.19 MYR 16.56
1.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.31 ฿649
$21.67 MYR 85.6
-6.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ฿57.3
$3.88 MYR 15.34
-53.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ฿88.5
$3.49 MYR 13.77
-20.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 ฿44.89
$0.25 MYR 0.99
460.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.70 ฿374
$11.85 MYR 46.82
-1.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ฿99.4
$0.93 MYR 3.67
234.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 ฿31.80
$1.10 MYR 4.34
-10.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.73 ฿439
$1.95 MYR 7.69
604.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ฿42.17
$0.49 MYR 1.95
169.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K ฿870.7K
$45.7K MYR 180.7K
-40.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K ฿1.1M
$37.0K MYR 146.0K
-7.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ฿3,849
$41.74 MYR 165
188.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ฿445
$8.98 MYR 35.46
55.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.31 ฿585
$25.04 MYR 98.9
-26.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.9 ฿1,948
$29.52 MYR 117
106.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.23 ฿551
$9.91 MYR 39.14
73.86%
Cinema Ticket
$8.71 ฿278
$4.60 MYR 18.17
89.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ฿22.3K
$140 MYR 555
396.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.7K ฿503.0K
$5,993 MYR 23.7K
162.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 ฿1,843
$66.8 MYR 264
-13.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.24 ฿1,095
$31.50 MYR 124
8.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 ฿3,618
$84.4 MYR 333
34.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ฿2,711
$71.2 MYR 281
19.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$604 ฿19.3K
$283 MYR 1,117
113.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$436 ฿13.9K
$207 MYR 819
110.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,057 ฿65.8K
$559 MYR 2,207
268.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,498 ฿47.9K
$390 MYR 1,542
283.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,252 ฿135.9K
$2,168 MYR 8,565
96.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,988 ฿95.5K
$1,569 MYR 6,196
90.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Kuching
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$529 ฿16.9K
$546 MYR 2,159
-3.15%
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: February 28, 2026

Last update for Kuching: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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