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

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 16.3% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 42.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 27.2% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 79.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.51 ฿142

$3.11 MYR 12.61

45.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.08 ฿1,449

$21.15 MYR 85.9

117.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 ฿276

$4.33 MYR 17.57

102.77%

Cappuccino

$3.09 ฿97.0

$2.86 MYR 11.63

8.04%

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

$0.70 ฿21.97

$0.73 MYR 2.96

-4.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿12.46

$0.36 MYR 1.48

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 ฿75.5

$4.29 MYR 17.41

-44.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿116

$4.37 MYR 17.73

-15.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ฿70.6

$1.88 MYR 7.63

19.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 ฿58.8

$1.00 MYR 4.06

87.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ฿69.8

$1.99 MYR 8.07

11.56%

Eggs

$2.23 ฿70.1

$2.05 MYR 8.33

8.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.68 ฿619

$16.99 MYR 69.0

15.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ฿115

$5.18 MYR 21.02

-29.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 ฿411

$14.97 MYR 60.8

-12.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ฿106

$2.77 MYR 11.26

22.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿53.3

$1.44 MYR 5.87

17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ฿73.2

$2.70 MYR 10.96

-13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ฿62.4

$2.09 MYR 8.47

-5.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 ฿48.77

$1.13 MYR 4.60

37.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿47.42

$1.22 MYR 4.97

23.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿30.84

$0.95 MYR 3.84

3.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.01

$0.45 MYR 1.82

6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿137

$4.22 MYR 17.12

3.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.65 ฿649

$19.31 MYR 78.4

6.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.8

$2.62 MYR 10.63

-32.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿86.6

$3.50 MYR 14.21

-21.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿43.19

$0.46 MYR 1.85

197.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.36 ฿357

$17.42 MYR 70.7

-34.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿97.8

$0.70 MYR 2.83

344.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 ฿32.96

$0.50 MYR 2.03

110.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.72 ฿431

$7.23 MYR 29.33

89.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿42.16

$0.46 MYR 1.88

191.30%

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

$27.7K ฿869.6K

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

-18.37%

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

$33.6K ฿1.1M

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

21.48%

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

$122 ฿3,835

$38.60 MYR 157

216.01%

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

$13.61 ฿428

$10.03 MYR 40.71

35.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.49 ฿581

$30.91 MYR 125

-40.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 ฿1,939

$32.64 MYR 133

89.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.70 ฿525

$5.52 MYR 22.40

202.54%

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 ฿286

$4.90 MYR 19.88

85.51%

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

$702 ฿22.1K

$238 MYR 968

194.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K ฿502.8K

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

160.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ฿1,851

$55.6 MYR 226

5.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.41 ฿1,082

$29.29 MYR 119

17.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,545

$60.4 MYR 245

86.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.7 ฿2,662

$52.8 MYR 214

60.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 ฿19.1K

$380 MYR 1,543

59.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 ฿13.7K

$227 MYR 920

92.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 ฿65.0K

$649 MYR 2,636

218.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 ฿46.3K

$520 MYR 2,113

183.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,445 ฿139.8K

$2,235 MYR 9,072

98.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,988 ฿93.9K

$1,156 MYR 4,693

158.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$547 ฿17.2K

$988 MYR 4,012

-44.61%

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for Penang: January 13, 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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