Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Malayer

For one person, living is cheaper in Malayer: $531 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Malayer
Learn more

Malayer Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Malayer

🇮🇷 Iran

$531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Malayer

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $531 in Malayer.

Phuket $1,278
Malayer $531

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $844 in Malayer.

Phuket $2,216
Malayer $844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,156 in Malayer.

Phuket $3,154
Malayer $1,156

Living in Phuket is roughly 141% more expensive than in Malayer, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Malayer 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.41 $3.41

31.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$16.23 $16.23

99.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.49 $3.49

152.44%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.66 $0.66

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.17 $1.17

141.88%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.52 $0.52

67.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.09 $1.09

-55.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.69 $0.69

140.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.48 $0.48

204.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.08 $2.08

-27.88%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.18 $1.18

77.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.40 $4.40

333.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.33 $3.33

-0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.16 $10.16

7.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.03 $1.03

184.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.54 $1.54

9.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.82 $0.82

174.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.55 $0.55

278.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.54 $0.54

179.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.51 $0.51

170.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.57 $0.57

87.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.26 $0.26

100.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 $0.79

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 $1.33

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.54 $2.54

65.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.16 $0.16

806.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$9.86 $9.86

474.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.44 $0.44

586.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.33 $0.33

209.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.37 $2.37

55.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.09 $0.09

1533.33%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$50.6K $50.6K

-47.03%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$45.1K $45.1K

-40.75%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$14.51 $14.51

564.02%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$1.60 $1.60

603.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$3.41 $3.41

394.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$18.67 $18.67

260.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$12.85 $12.85

-16.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$1.78 $1.78

321.35%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$108 $108

339.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$2,196 $2,196

412.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$22.38 $22.38

178.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$25.93 $25.93

9.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$96.2 $96.2

-1.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$70.9 $70.9

20.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$292 $292

145.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$208 $208

135.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$789 $789

144.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$360 $360

296.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,166 $1,166

258.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$529 $529

475.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$216 $216

132.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

24.3

-77.08%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Malayer: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Malayer

$208 39.2% 57.6% $283

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Malayer

$114 21.4% 57.3% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Malayer

$20 3.7% 84.3% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Malayer

$97 18.3% 20.5% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Malayer

$58 11% 52.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Malayer

$22 4.2% 73% $60

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Malayer

$13 2.4% 82.2% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $292 in Malayer. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.3 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in Malayer for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $114 per month, with Malayer cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇷 Malayer

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

3 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

170,237

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Malayer 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Malayer

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 Malayer: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malayer is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.3 times higher, 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 $292 in Malayer. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $108 in Malayer. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 134% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $531 in Malayer versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Malayer but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Malayer the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Malayer gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.