Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Seremban

For one person, living is cheaper in Seremban: $793 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Seremban
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Seremban Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Seremban

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Seremban

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $793 in Seremban.

Phuket $1,208
Seremban $793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,246 in Seremban.

Phuket $2,027
Seremban $1,246

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,700 in Seremban.

Phuket $2,845
Seremban $1,700

Living in Phuket is roughly 52% more expensive than in Seremban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Seremban 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.60 MYR 14.68

22.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$18.22 MYR 74.3

77.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$3.65 MYR 14.88

140.00%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.85 MYR 11.65

-0.70%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.79 MYR 3.23

13.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.42 MYR 1.71

11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$3.70 MYR 15.08

-31.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.79 MYR 19.54

-20.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.76 MYR 7.17

-1.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.10 MYR 4.48

33.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.45 MYR 5.92

4.14%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.75 MYR 7.13

24.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$17.99 MYR 73.4

9.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.53 MYR 18.46

-26.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.23 MYR 41.73

9.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.29 MYR 13.41

-13.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.33 MYR 5.43

27.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$4.80 MYR 19.57

-54.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.32 MYR 5.40

55.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.09 MYR 4.44

33.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.19 MYR 4.85

15.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.20 MYR 4.88

-10.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.55 MYR 2.23

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.20 MYR 17.13

1.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$14.14 MYR 57.7

31.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.85 MYR 11.63

-37.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.01 MYR 12.27

-5.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.24 MYR 5.08

82.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$24.21 MYR 98.8

-8.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.75 MYR 3.05

301.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.74 MYR 3.03

43.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$9.89 MYR 40.36

-60.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.70 MYR 2.85

107.14%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$43.5K MYR 177.4K

-39.46%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$35.2K MYR 143.7K

-23.51%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$44.55 MYR 182

116.34%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$10.71 MYR 43.69

3.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$28.91 MYR 118

-40.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$67.0 MYR 273

-22.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$4.34 MYR 17.70

79.95%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$180 MYR 735

208.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$4,453 MYR 18.2K

160.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$48.14 MYR 196

33.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$16.82 MYR 68.6

70.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$81.3 MYR 332

17.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$86.3 MYR 352

1.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$181 MYR 738

307.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$123 MYR 503

274.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$303 MYR 1,237

591.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$255 MYR 1,042

370.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$798 MYR 3,257

-37.29%

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 Seremban: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Seremban

$123 15.6% 73.3% $339

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Seremban

$264 33.4% 1.6% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Seremban

$84 10.6% 32.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Seremban

$105 13.2% 15.8% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Seremban

$107 13.5% 11.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Seremban

$76 9.5% 11.6% $7.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Seremban

$34 4.2% 14.7% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $181 in Seremban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seremban pays 59% 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 Seremban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $264 per month, with Seremban cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Seremban

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

08:52 8:52 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

681,541

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Seremban 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Seremban

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 Seremban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seremban is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 52% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Seremban. 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 $181 in Seremban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $180 in Seremban. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $793 in Seremban versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Seremban but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Seremban the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Seremban 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 Seremban 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 Seremban gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.