Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Serdang

For one person, living is cheaper in Serdang: $975 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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 Serdang
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Serdang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Serdang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Serdang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $975 in Serdang.

Phuket $1,208
Serdang $975

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,441 in Serdang.

Phuket $2,027
Serdang $1,441

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,906 in Serdang.

Phuket $2,845
Serdang $1,906

Living in Phuket is roughly 24% more expensive than in Serdang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Serdang 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.48 MYR 10.13

77.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$16.85 MYR 68.8

91.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$3.76 MYR 15.33

132.98%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.94 MYR 7.92

45.88%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.84 MYR 3.43

7.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.47 MYR 1.94

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$4.39 MYR 17.92

-41.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.21 MYR 25.34

-38.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.04 MYR 8.33

-15.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.12 MYR 4.55

31.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.93 MYR 7.87

-21.76%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.54 MYR 10.37

-14.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$13.78 MYR 56.2

42.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.54 MYR 18.50

-26.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$9.91 MYR 40.41

12.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.33 MYR 13.57

-14.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.86 MYR 7.60

-8.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.25 MYR 9.20

-2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.61 MYR 6.58

27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.28 MYR 5.24

13.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.34 MYR 5.46

2.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.12 MYR 4.57

-4.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.72 MYR 2.95

-29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.31 MYR 17.59

-1.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$19.36 MYR 79.0

-4.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$3.47 MYR 14.17

-48.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$4.88 MYR 19.89

-41.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.76 MYR 3.10

197.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$12.22 MYR 49.86

80.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.20 MYR 4.88

150.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.24 MYR 5.07

-14.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$4.77 MYR 19.45

-19.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.82 MYR 3.36

76.83%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$41.2K MYR 168.1K

-36.09%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$35.2K MYR 143.7K

-23.53%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$63.2 MYR 258

52.48%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$8.89 MYR 36.28

24.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$26.10 MYR 106

-34.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$40.33 MYR 165

29.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.11 MYR 29.00

56.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.09 MYR 20.74

53.44%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$297 MYR 1,210

87.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$13.2K MYR 54.0K

-12.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$72.7 MYR 297

-11.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$41.98 MYR 171

-31.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$87.4 MYR 356

9.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$96.0 MYR 392

-8.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$409 MYR 1,669

80.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$302 MYR 1,231

53.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$682 MYR 2,783

207.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$479 MYR 1,954

150.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,055 MYR 8,382

69.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,069 MYR 4,360

136.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$989 MYR 4,035

-49.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.18

33.25%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Serdang: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Serdang

$302 30.9% 34.8% $161

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Serdang

$274 28.1% 1.8% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Serdang

$98 10.1% 21.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Serdang

$134 13.8% 7.9% $9.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Serdang

$94 9.7% 22.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Serdang

$51 5.2% 25.5% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Serdang

$23 2.3% 42.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $409 in Serdang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Serdang pays 98% 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 $17.00 in Serdang. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $274, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Serdang

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

15:25 3:25 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

130,252

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Serdang 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Serdang

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 Serdang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Serdang is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 98% lower in Serdang. 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 $409 in Serdang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $297 in Serdang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $975 in Serdang versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Serdang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Serdang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Serdang 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 Serdang 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 Serdang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.