Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Malaysia

Name: Malaysia
Address: MY

For one person, living is cheaper in Malaysia: $908 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Malaysia
Learn more

Malaysia Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$908

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 15.2% more expensive than Malaysia without rent, and 31% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 19.3% more expensive than Malaysia without rent, and 54.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$3.68 MYR 15.03

18.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$19.24 MYR 78.5

68.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$4.82 MYR 19.69

74.69%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$2.87 MYR 11.70

-2.09%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.81 MYR 3.30

7.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.41 MYR 1.67

12.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$3.75 MYR 15.32

-30.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$4.76 MYR 19.45

-23.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.90 MYR 7.74

-10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.06 MYR 4.32

36.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.48 MYR 6.05

5.41%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$2.16 MYR 8.83

-2.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$13.27 MYR 54.2

47.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.07 MYR 16.60

-16.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$8.71 MYR 35.56

27.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$3.04 MYR 12.40

-6.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.66 MYR 6.80

-2.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$2.59 MYR 10.59

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$1.58 MYR 6.46

36.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$1.22 MYR 4.99

22.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$1.28 MYR 5.23

3.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$1.17 MYR 4.77

-8.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.56 MYR 2.27

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$4.51 MYR 18.41

-2.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$19.23 MYR 78.5

-2.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$2.97 MYR 12.13

-41.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$4.04 MYR 16.51

-31.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$0.72 MYR 2.94

201.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$12.43 MYR 50.8

79.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$1.19 MYR 4.86

153.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.95 MYR 3.88

11.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$6.10 MYR 24.92

-39.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$0.66 MYR 2.69

116.67%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$41.1K MYR 167.7K

-35.83%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$34.5K MYR 141.0K

-24.10%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$55.4 MYR 226

74.63%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$10.14 MYR 41.40

12.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$27.39 MYR 112

-37.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$37.46 MYR 153

40.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$7.20 MYR 29.39

53.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$5.01 MYR 20.44

52.69%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$191 MYR 778

191.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$8,217 MYR 33.5K

37.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$63.2 MYR 258

0.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$33.41 MYR 136

-14.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$80.0 MYR 327

20.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$71.9 MYR 294

23.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$401 MYR 1,636

83.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$272 MYR 1,112

68.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$705 MYR 2,880

197.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$467 MYR 1,909

153.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$2,042 MYR 8,337

71.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$1,181 MYR 4,822

110.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$917 MYR 3,745

-45.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.23

31.68%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Malaysia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Malaysia

$272 29.9% 40.5% $186

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Malaysia

$253 27.8% 5.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Malaysia

$93 10.2% 25.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Malaysia

$112 12.3% 10.4% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Malaysia

$111 12.3% 6.5% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Malaysia

$47 5.2% 30.3% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Malaysia

$21 2.3% 45.9% $18

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Malaysia

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

18:05 6:05 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

32,447,385

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Malaysia 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Malaysia

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

Kuta, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Cemagi, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey