Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Labuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Labuan: $969 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$969

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Labuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $969 in Labuan.

Phuket $1,294
Labuan $969

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,507 in Labuan.

Phuket $2,204
Labuan $1,507

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,045 in Labuan.

Phuket $3,115
Labuan $2,045

Living in Phuket is roughly 34% more expensive than in Labuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Labuan 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$5.45 MYR 22.14

-19.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$24.74 MYR 100

30.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$6.91 MYR 28.07

25.90%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.96 MYR 16.07

-31.31%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.07 MYR 4.33

-13.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.41 MYR 1.67

21.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$3.82 MYR 15.53

-33.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.63 MYR 18.79

-21.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.77 MYR 7.18

-1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.05 MYR 4.25

38.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.44 MYR 5.86

4.17%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.26 MYR 9.18

-3.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$16.79 MYR 68.2

13.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.54 MYR 18.42

-25.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$9.39 MYR 38.14

16.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$3.28 MYR 13.31

-10.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.67 MYR 6.80

1.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$2.52 MYR 10.23

-13.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.58 MYR 6.41

34.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.21 MYR 4.93

20.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.38 MYR 5.58

-0.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.18 MYR 4.81

-8.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.52 MYR 2.10

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.30 MYR 17.45

3.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$19.07 MYR 77.5

-4.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$2.98 MYR 12.10

-40.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$4.44 MYR 18.02

-35.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.70 MYR 2.84

107.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$12.19 MYR 49.50

350.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.20 MYR 4.88

25.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.58 MYR 2.34

34.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$7.38 MYR 29.96

-47.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$0.77 MYR 3.15

93.51%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$44.4K MYR 180.4K

-39.48%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$35.9K MYR 145.8K

-26.62%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$48.90 MYR 199

100.02%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$9.66 MYR 39.24

16.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$28.73 MYR 117

-40.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$37.51 MYR 152

82.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$6.74 MYR 27.36

62.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.39 MYR 17.82

69.25%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$241 MYR 979

120.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$6,912 MYR 28.1K

171.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$55.2 MYR 224

11.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$34.25 MYR 139

-17.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$81.9 MYR 333

17.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$76.3 MYR 310

13.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$409 MYR 1,661

76.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$291 MYR 1,181

75.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$732 MYR 2,973

166.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$557 MYR 2,262

150.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$1,970 MYR 8,003

112.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,191 MYR 4,839

176.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$362 MYR 1,471

35.73%

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 Labuan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Labuan

$291 30% 42.9% $218

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Labuan

$268 27.6% 0.3% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Labuan

$87 9% 30.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Labuan

$111 11.5% 9.2% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Labuan

$146 15.1% 22.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Labuan

$46 4.8% 44.4% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Labuan

$19 2% 71.1% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $409 in Labuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 36% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $25 in Labuan. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $268, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Labuan

🕒 Local time

15:07 3:07 PM

16:07 4:07 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

95,120

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.78 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Labuan 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Labuan

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 Labuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Labuan is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 36% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $409 in Labuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $241 in Labuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Labuan – a meal for two runs $25 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Labuan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Labuan wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.