Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Putrajaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Putrajaya: $813 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Putrajaya
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Putrajaya Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Putrajaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Putrajaya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $813 in Putrajaya.

Phuket $1,278
Putrajaya $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,227 in Putrajaya.

Phuket $2,216
Putrajaya $1,227

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,640 in Putrajaya.

Phuket $3,154
Putrajaya $1,640

Living in Phuket is roughly 57% more expensive than in Putrajaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Putrajaya 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.58 MYR 14.52

24.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$18.03 MYR 73.2

79.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.48 MYR 18.18

96.65%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.89 MYR 11.71

-2.08%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.82 MYR 3.34

6.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.39 MYR 1.59

25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.69 MYR 14.97

-30.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.73 MYR 19.19

-22.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.75 MYR 7.09

-5.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.09 MYR 4.44

33.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.43 MYR 5.81

4.90%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.71 MYR 6.94

22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.72 MYR 31.33

147.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.70 MYR 19.08

-29.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.58 MYR 38.86

13.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.46 MYR 10.00

19.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.49 MYR 6.04

13.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.22 MYR 9.00

1.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.63 MYR 6.62

27.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.39 MYR 5.64

8.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.43 MYR 5.81

-3.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.37 MYR 5.55

-21.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.52 MYR 2.10

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.30 MYR 17.43

-2.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.35 MYR 54.2

40.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.98 MYR 12.10

-38.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.01 MYR 12.19

-5.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.69 MYR 2.82

110.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$12.13 MYR 49.19

367.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.94 MYR 3.81

221.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.47 MYR 1.93

117.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.75 MYR 39.55

-62.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.69 MYR 2.80

113.04%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$42.8K MYR 173.6K

-37.41%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$34.4K MYR 139.4K

-22.32%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$52.5 MYR 213

83.56%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.02 MYR 44.72

2.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$22.68 MYR 92.0

-25.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$35.81 MYR 145

87.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$9.28 MYR 37.64

15.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.03 MYR 20.40

49.11%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$243 MYR 984

96.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$4,555 MYR 18.5K

147.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$54.4 MYR 221

14.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$16.78 MYR 68.1

69.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$80.2 MYR 325

17.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$87.0 MYR 353

-1.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$345 MYR 1,398

107.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$225 MYR 914

117.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$633 MYR 2,570

204.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$370 MYR 1,501

286.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,682 MYR 10.9K

55.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,783 MYR 7,235

70.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,029 MYR 4,176

-51.21%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Putrajaya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Putrajaya

$225 27.7% 54.1% $266

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Putrajaya

$221 27.2% 17% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Putrajaya

$86 10.6% 30.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Putrajaya

$107 13.2% 12% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Putrajaya

$109 13.5% 10% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Putrajaya

$46 5.6% 44.2% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Putrajaya

$18 2.2% 74.2% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $345 in Putrajaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Putrajaya pays about 2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $18 in Putrajaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $221 per month, with Putrajaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Putrajaya

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

00:58 12:58 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

109,202

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Putrajaya 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Putrajaya

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 Putrajaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Putrajaya is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $345 in Putrajaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $243 in Putrajaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Putrajaya is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Putrajaya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Putrajaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.