Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lumut, Perak

For one person, living is cheaper in Lumut, Perak: $988 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Lumut, Perak
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Lumut, Perak Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$988

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lumut, Perak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $988 in Lumut, Perak.

Phuket $1,278
Lumut, Perak $988

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,498 in Lumut, Perak.

Phuket $2,216
Lumut, Perak $1,498

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,008 in Lumut, Perak.

Phuket $3,154
Lumut, Perak $2,008

Living in Phuket is roughly 29% more expensive than in Lumut, Perak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Lumut, Perak 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.65 MYR 14.85

22.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$12.00 MYR 48.89

170.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.91 MYR 20.03

79.43%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.95 MYR 12.01

-4.07%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.77 MYR 3.13

12.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.38 MYR 1.55

28.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.75 MYR 15.27

-31.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.23 MYR 25.36

-40.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.06 MYR 8.38

-19.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.07 MYR 4.34

36.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.92 MYR 7.83

-21.87%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.41 MYR 9.81

-13.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.84 MYR 56.4

37.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.53 MYR 18.46

-27.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.83 MYR 40.06

10.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.32 MYR 13.52

-11.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.85 MYR 7.52

-8.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.23 MYR 9.08

0.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.57 MYR 6.38

32.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.27 MYR 5.18

18.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.38 MYR 5.61

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.16 MYR 4.73

-7.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.71 MYR 2.89

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.28 MYR 17.45

-1.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$19.87 MYR 81.0

-5.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.47 MYR 14.12

-47.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$5.04 MYR 20.52

-43.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.73 MYR 2.96

98.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$12.54 MYR 51.1

351.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.23 MYR 5.02

145.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.26 MYR 5.12

-19.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$4.86 MYR 19.79

-24.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.87 MYR 3.55

68.97%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$43.7K MYR 178.2K

-38.78%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$34.7K MYR 141.5K

-23.13%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$62.5 MYR 255

54.06%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.99 MYR 36.62

25.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$25.83 MYR 105

-34.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$41.64 MYR 170

61.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.57 MYR 26.79

63.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.81 MYR 19.62

55.93%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$242 MYR 987

96.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$13.3K MYR 54.3K

-15.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$72.0 MYR 294

-13.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$42.00 MYR 171

-32.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$85.3 MYR 347

10.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$96.4 MYR 393

-11.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$415 MYR 1,692

72.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$295 MYR 1,201

66.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$722 MYR 2,942

166.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$563 MYR 2,293

154.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,757 MYR 7,160

137.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,304 MYR 5,314

133.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$375 MYR 1,527

34.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.17

33.57%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lumut, Perak: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Lumut, Perak

$295 29.9% 39.9% $196

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Lumut, Perak

$273 27.7% 2.7% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Lumut, Perak

$97 9.9% 21.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lumut, Perak

$133 13.5% 9.2% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lumut, Perak

$115 11.6% 5.5% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Lumut, Perak

$51 5.2% 37.7% $31

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Lumut, Perak

$23 2.3% 67.5% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $415 in Lumut, Perak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 34% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $12 in Lumut, Perak. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $273, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Lumut, Perak

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

39,595

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Phuket Lumut, Perak 480 km

From you

Phuket
Lumut, Perak

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 Lumut, Perak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lumut, Perak wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lumut, Perak the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 34% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $415 in Lumut, Perak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lumut, Perak – a meal for two runs $12 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $988 in Lumut, Perak – Lumut, Perak is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Lumut, Perak is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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