Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $735 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
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Rawang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rawang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $735 in Rawang.

Phuket $1,278
Rawang $735

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,173 in Rawang.

Phuket $2,216
Rawang $1,173

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,611 in Rawang.

Phuket $3,154
Rawang $1,611

Living in Phuket is roughly 74% more expensive than in Rawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Rawang 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.72 MYR 15.15

20.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$19.66 MYR 80.1

64.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.97 MYR 20.25

77.26%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.00 MYR 12.22

-5.67%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.82 MYR 3.35

6.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.40 MYR 1.61

22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$4.23 MYR 17.23

-39.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.42 MYR 18.01

-16.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.79 MYR 7.30

-7.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.04 MYR 4.23

40.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-11.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.14 MYR 8.72

-2.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$14.18 MYR 57.8

34.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.43 MYR 18.04

-25.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.17 MYR 41.42

7.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.92 MYR 11.88

0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.82 MYR 7.44

-7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.64 MYR 10.77

-14.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.43 MYR 5.82

45.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.22 MYR 4.98

23.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.31 MYR 5.34

5.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.12 MYR 4.58

-4.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.57 MYR 2.33

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.49 MYR 18.31

-6.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$19.06 MYR 77.7

-1.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.85 MYR 11.62

-36.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.94 MYR 20.13

-42.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.77 MYR 3.12

88.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$12.26 MYR 49.97

362.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.74 MYR 7.09

73.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.37 MYR 1.52

175.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.83 MYR 27.82

-45.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.83 MYR 3.37

77.11%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$43.5K MYR 177.1K

-38.38%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$35.0K MYR 142.7K

-23.77%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$36.97 MYR 151

160.62%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.75 MYR 39.71

15.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$28.46 MYR 116

-40.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$37.63 MYR 153

78.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.70 MYR 27.31

60.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.87 MYR 19.85

54.00%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$401 MYR 1,634

18.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

2.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$60.1 MYR 245

3.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$34.90 MYR 142

-18.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$82.4 MYR 336

14.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$71.1 MYR 290

20.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$143 MYR 581

402.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$104 MYR 425

370.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$576 MYR 2,347

234.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$234 MYR 955

510.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,963 MYR 7,998

112.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,197 MYR 4,877

154.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,012 MYR 4,122

-50.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.17

33.57%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rawang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Rawang

$104 14.2% 78.7% $386

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Rawang

$262 35.6% 1.6% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Rawang

$75 10.2% 39.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rawang

$112 15.2% 8.3% $10

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rawang

$115 15.7% 5.1% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Rawang

$47 6.4% 42.4% $35

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Rawang

$19 2.6% 73.2% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $143 in Rawang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rawang 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 $20 in Rawang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $262 per month, with Rawang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Rawang

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

07:45 7:45 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

50,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Rawang 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rawang

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 Rawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawang is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 50% 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 $143 in Rawang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $401 in Rawang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rawang – a meal for two runs $20 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Rawang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.