Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Petaling Jaya Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Petaling Jaya

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 30.4% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 40.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 43.3% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 86.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.65 ฿148
$3.65 MYR 14.36
27.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.11 ฿1,470
$18.95 MYR 74.6
143.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.74 ฿279
$4.74 MYR 18.66
84.39%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ฿96.9
$2.81 MYR 11.09
8.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ฿22.96
$0.73 MYR 2.88
-1.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ฿12.47
$0.40 MYR 1.57
-2.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 ฿77.8
$3.58 MYR 14.11
-31.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 ฿121
$4.97 MYR 19.57
-23.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 ฿68.4
$1.94 MYR 7.66
10.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 ฿59.3
$0.94 MYR 3.72
97.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ฿69.7
$1.78 MYR 7.02
23.03%
Eggs
$2.25 ฿71.6
$2.25 MYR 8.86
-
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.73 ฿629
$10.55 MYR 41.55
87.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.79 ฿121
$3.55 MYR 13.99
6.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.55 ฿432
$7.89 MYR 31.10
71.74%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 ฿104
$2.79 MYR 10.98
16.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 ฿53.3
$1.67 MYR 6.59
-
Oranges (1kg)
$2.39 ฿76.3
$2.45 MYR 9.64
-2.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.09 ฿66.7
$1.20 MYR 4.73
74.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿48.74
$1.18 MYR 4.65
29.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 ฿48.13
$1.33 MYR 5.24
13.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 ฿31.53
$0.95 MYR 3.76
4.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.41
$0.58 MYR 2.30
-12.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 ฿136
$4.26 MYR 16.79
0.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.31 ฿647
$20.10 MYR 79.2
1.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ฿57.1
$2.66 MYR 10.49
-32.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ฿88.2
$3.92 MYR 15.43
-29.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Petaling Jaya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 ฿44.77
$0.77 MYR 3.01
81.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.70 ฿373
$11.59 MYR 45.67
0.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ฿99.1
$1.03 MYR 4.04
201.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 ฿31.71
$0.35 MYR 1.39
182.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.73 ฿438
$9.50 MYR 37.41
44.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ฿42.05
$0.46 MYR 1.82
186.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K ฿868.3K
$31.5K MYR 124.2K
-13.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K ฿1.1M
$28.4K MYR 111.8K
20.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ฿3,838
$40.92 MYR 161
194.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ฿444
$9.19 MYR 36.19
51.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.31 ฿584
$22.78 MYR 89.7
-19.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.9 ฿1,942
$36.50 MYR 144
66.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.23 ฿549
$7.22 MYR 28.44
138.64%
Cinema Ticket
$8.71 ฿278
$4.93 MYR 19.44
76.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ฿22.2K
$211 MYR 830
231.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.7K ฿501.6K
$8,077 MYR 31.8K
94.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 ฿1,838
$49.40 MYR 195
16.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.24 ฿1,092
$34.58 MYR 136
-0.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 ฿3,608
$53.3 MYR 210
112.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ฿2,704
$48.25 MYR 190
75.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Petaling Jaya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$604 ฿19.3K
$465 MYR 1,830
29.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$436 ฿13.9K
$339 MYR 1,335
28.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,057 ฿65.6K
$829 MYR 3,266
148.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,498 ฿47.8K
$545 MYR 2,149
174.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,252 ฿135.6K
$3,253 MYR 12.8K
30.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,988 ฿95.3K
$803 MYR 3,164
272.12%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$529 ฿16.9K
$1,811 MYR 7,133
-70.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
4.49
18.71%

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

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: March 1, 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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