Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Semenyih

For one person, living is cheaper in Semenyih: $958 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Semenyih
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Semenyih Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Semenyih

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Semenyih

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $958 in Semenyih.

Phuket $1,208
Semenyih $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,428 in Semenyih.

Phuket $2,027
Semenyih $1,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,899 in Semenyih.

Phuket $2,845
Semenyih $1,899

Living in Phuket is roughly 26% more expensive than in Semenyih, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Semenyih 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.71 MYR 15.14

18.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$18.05 MYR 73.6

78.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.05 MYR 20.59

73.47%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.90 MYR 11.83

-2.41%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.64 MYR 2.61

40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.59 MYR 2.42

-20.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$4.29 MYR 17.49

-40.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.07 MYR 24.78

-36.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.69 MYR 6.88

2.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.00 MYR 4.09

47.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.43 MYR 5.85

5.59%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.72 MYR 7.02

26.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$18.23 MYR 74.4

8.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.66 MYR 19.00

-28.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.49 MYR 42.80

6.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.24 MYR 13.23

-12.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.70 MYR 6.92

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$3.82 MYR 15.60

-42.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.62 MYR 6.62

26.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.43 MYR 5.83

1.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.68 MYR 6.84

-17.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.38 MYR 5.62

-22.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.51 MYR 2.07

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.24 MYR 17.30

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$13.80 MYR 56.3

34.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.87 MYR 11.71

-37.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.12 MYR 12.73

-8.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.75 MYR 3.05

201.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$12.19 MYR 49.73

81.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.94 MYR 3.82

220.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.71 MYR 2.89

49.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$9.73 MYR 39.70

-60.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.52 MYR 2.13

178.85%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$42.0K MYR 171.4K

-37.35%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$35.2K MYR 143.8K

-23.56%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$53.1 MYR 217

81.51%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$11.18 MYR 45.59

-1.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$28.15 MYR 115

-39.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$40.45 MYR 165

29.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.15 MYR 29.18

56.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.04 MYR 20.54

54.96%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$161 MYR 657

244.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$4,497 MYR 18.3K

157.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$53.9 MYR 220

19.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$16.40 MYR 66.9

74.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$80.2 MYR 327

18.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$99.2 MYR 405

-11.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$401 MYR 1,635

83.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$299 MYR 1,219

54.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$689 MYR 2,813

203.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$476 MYR 1,940

152.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,017 MYR 8,228

72.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,075 MYR 4,386

134.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$668 MYR 2,724

-25.00%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Semenyih: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Semenyih

$299 31.2% 35.4% $164

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Semenyih

$266 27.8% 0.9% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Semenyih

$92 9.7% 25.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Semenyih

$112 11.7% 9.6% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Semenyih

$118 12.3% 2.6% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Semenyih

$51 5.3% 25.5% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Semenyih

$20 2.1% 50.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $401 in Semenyih. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Semenyih pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $18.00 in Semenyih for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $266 per month, with Semenyih cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Semenyih

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

15:26 3:26 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

45,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Semenyih 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Semenyih

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 Semenyih: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Semenyih is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Semenyih. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $401 in Semenyih. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $161 in Semenyih. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $958 in Semenyih versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Semenyih but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Semenyih the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Semenyih is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Semenyih are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Semenyih gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.