Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nilai

For one person, living is cheaper in Nilai: $944 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Nilai
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Nilai Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Nilai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nilai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $944 in Nilai.

Phuket $1,208
Nilai $944

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,408 in Nilai.

Phuket $2,027
Nilai $1,408

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,873 in Nilai.

Phuket $2,845
Nilai $1,873

Living in Phuket is roughly 28% more expensive than in Nilai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Nilai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.61 MYR 14.71

21.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$19.70 MYR 80.4

63.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.16 MYR 25.13

42.21%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.45 MYR 14.09

-17.97%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.81 MYR 3.32

11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.38 MYR 1.56

23.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$3.56 MYR 14.54

-28.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.48 MYR 18.29

-14.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.73 MYR 7.05

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.38 MYR 5.65

6.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.43 MYR 5.84

5.59%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.22 MYR 9.06

-2.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$13.82 MYR 56.4

42.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.32 MYR 17.61

-22.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$9.83 MYR 40.11

13.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.22 MYR 13.15

-11.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.69 MYR 6.91

0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.47 MYR 10.07

-11.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.55 MYR 6.33

32.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.28 MYR 5.21

13.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.29 MYR 5.27

6.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.18 MYR 4.81

-9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.56 MYR 2.29

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.97 MYR 20.29

-14.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$20.83 MYR 85.0

-10.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.60 MYR 10.60

-31.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$4.35 MYR 17.75

-34.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.73 MYR 2.99

209.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$13.51 MYR 55.1

63.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.12 MYR 4.57

168.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.52 MYR 2.11

103.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$8.45 MYR 34.46

-54.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.96 MYR 3.93

51.04%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$42.8K MYR 174.4K

-38.43%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$30.6K MYR 125.0K

-12.09%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$49.33 MYR 201

95.38%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$9.58 MYR 39.06

15.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$28.03 MYR 114

-38.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$36.98 MYR 151

41.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$6.36 MYR 25.94

75.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$4.79 MYR 19.55

63.05%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$186 MYR 759

198.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$6,358 MYR 25.9K

82.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$49.57 MYR 202

29.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$37.46 MYR 153

-23.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$75.4 MYR 308

26.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$81.2 MYR 331

8.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$382 MYR 1,558

93.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$297 MYR 1,210

55.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$665 MYR 2,715

214.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$477 MYR 1,947

151.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,219 MYR 9,052

57.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$979 MYR 3,993

157.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,393 MYR 5,683

-64.06%

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: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nilai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Nilai

$297 31.4% 35.9% $166

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Nilai

$263 27.9% 1.9% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Nilai

$87 9.2% 30.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Nilai

$110 11.6% 11.8% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Nilai

$120 12.8% 0.7% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Nilai

$47 4.9% 31.3% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Nilai

$20 2.1% 48.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $382 in Nilai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nilai pays 178% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $20.00 in Nilai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $263 per month, with Nilai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Nilai

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

13:41 1:41 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

38,612

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Nilai 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nilai

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 Nilai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nilai wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nilai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 178% lower in Nilai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $382 in Nilai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $944 in Nilai – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nilai runs roughly 64% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $944 in Nilai versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nilai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Nilai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nilai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $944 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nilai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Nilai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nilai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.