Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Penang Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Penang

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 12.8% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 46.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 27.3% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 78% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.65 ฿148

$3.07 MYR 12.10

51.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.11 ฿1,470

$21.19 MYR 83.5

117.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 ฿279

$4.20 MYR 16.53

108.10%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ฿96.9

$2.96 MYR 11.68

2.70%

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

$0.72 ฿22.96

$0.74 MYR 2.92

-2.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿12.47

$0.37 MYR 1.44

5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿77.8

$4.49 MYR 17.69

-45.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 ฿121

$4.40 MYR 17.35

-13.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ฿68.4

$1.90 MYR 7.50

12.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 ฿59.3

$0.99 MYR 3.91

87.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ฿69.7

$2.05 MYR 8.09

6.83%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿71.6

$2.15 MYR 8.46

4.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.73 ฿629

$17.37 MYR 68.4

13.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.79 ฿121

$5.00 MYR 19.69

-24.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 ฿432

$14.88 MYR 58.6

-8.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 ฿104

$2.78 MYR 10.93

16.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 ฿53.3

$1.47 MYR 5.79

13.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ฿76.3

$2.58 MYR 10.18

-7.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 ฿66.7

$2.19 MYR 8.64

-4.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿48.74

$1.14 MYR 4.49

34.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿48.13

$1.20 MYR 4.73

25.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿31.53

$0.89 MYR 3.52

11.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.41

$0.49 MYR 1.93

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿136

$4.35 MYR 17.13

-1.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.31 ฿647

$19.52 MYR 76.9

4.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿57.1

$2.62 MYR 10.32

-31.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ฿88.2

$3.48 MYR 13.71

-20.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿44.77

$0.46 MYR 1.80

204.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿373

$17.36 MYR 68.4

-32.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿99.1

$0.68 MYR 2.68

357.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿31.71

$0.50 MYR 1.98

98.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.73 ฿438

$7.19 MYR 28.32

90.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ฿42.05

$0.49 MYR 1.95

169.39%

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

$27.2K ฿868.3K

$34.0K MYR 133.9K

-19.84%

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

$34.1K ฿1.1M

$27.9K MYR 109.8K

22.40%

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

$120 ฿3,838

$39.37 MYR 155

205.82%

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

$13.93 ฿444

$10.01 MYR 39.44

39.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿584

$31.45 MYR 124

-41.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 ฿1,942

$33.02 MYR 130

84.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 ฿549

$5.53 MYR 21.78

211.57%

Cinema Ticket

$8.71 ฿278

$4.81 MYR 18.96

81.08%

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

$698 ฿22.2K

$237 MYR 934

194.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿501.6K

$6,252 MYR 24.6K

151.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ฿1,838

$54.3 MYR 214

6.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.24 ฿1,092

$29.00 MYR 114

18.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,608

$62.5 MYR 246

81.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.8 ฿2,704

$52.4 MYR 207

61.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$604 ฿19.3K

$394 MYR 1,552

53.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 ฿13.9K

$230 MYR 907

89.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 ฿65.6K

$641 MYR 2,524

221.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 ฿47.8K

$517 MYR 2,037

189.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,252 ฿135.6K

$2,335 MYR 9,201

82.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,988 ฿95.3K

$1,191 MYR 4,691

150.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$529 ฿16.9K

$974 MYR 3,839

-45.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

4.16

28.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

Last update for Penang: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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