Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Langkawi

For one person, living is cheaper in Langkawi: $537 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Langkawi
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Langkawi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Langkawi

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Langkawi

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $537 in Langkawi, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Langkawi $537

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $770 in Langkawi, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Langkawi $770

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,003 in Langkawi, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Langkawi $1,003

Phuket costs about 125% more than Langkawi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Phuket and Langkawi are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Langkawi 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿154

$3.27 MYR 13.35

40.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,090

$19.71 MYR 80.5

64.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿287

$6.38 MYR 26.08

34.01%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.4

$1.65 MYR 6.73

64.85%

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

$0.94 ฿31.38

$0.82 MYR 3.37

14.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.46

$0.53 MYR 2.18

-7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.9

$1.72 MYR 7.04

50.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$2.26 MYR 9.23

69.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.74 MYR 7.11

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿48.02

$1.31 MYR 5.37

9.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.79 MYR 7.31

21.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿643

$17.48 MYR 71.4

9.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿374

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.9

$2.02 MYR 8.24

46.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.4

$0.99 MYR 4.05

69.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.1

$1.68 MYR 6.87

36.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.6

$1.67 MYR 6.84

27.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.74

$0.76 MYR 3.10

78.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.60

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

$3.69 MYR 15.06

15.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿611

$8.82 MYR 36.04

106.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$0.94 MYR 3.82

85.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.7

$1.19 MYR 4.87

134.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.4

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿740

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.7

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$0.88 MYR 3.57

69.32%

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

$26.7K ฿895.4K

$24.4K MYR 99.7K

9.28%

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

$26.7K ฿896.4K

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

$99.4 ฿3,335

$36.65 MYR 150

171.13%

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

$11.28 ฿379

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿583

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,755

$24.82 MYR 101

110.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿254

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

$558 ฿18.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿385.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,110

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,226

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,955

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.5K

$308 MYR 1,256

137.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$244 MYR 998

88.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.3K

$374 MYR 1,530

459.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿41.0K

$320 MYR 1,305

282.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿116.1K

$1,168 MYR 4,771

196.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,240 MYR 5,066

-60.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Langkawi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Langkawi

$244 45.5% 46.9% $216

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Langkawi

$148 * 27.5% 44.9% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Langkawi

$37 * 6.8% 71.4% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Langkawi

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Langkawi

$84 15.6% 31.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Langkawi

$25 * 4.6% 63.2% $43

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Langkawi

- * 0% 100%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $308 in Langkawi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 152% higher in Langkawi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $20.00 in Langkawi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $148 – making Langkawi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Langkawi

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

06:13 6:13 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

30,212

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 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 October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.56 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.57 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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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 Langkawi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,207 in Phuket, $537 in Langkawi – roughly 125% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $806 in Langkawi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Langkawi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $20.00 in Langkawi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,207 in Phuket and $537 in Langkawi. That's a gap of about 125%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Langkawi, where all-in costs run around $537, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Langkawi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $537 in Langkawi to $1,207 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Langkawi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.