Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Setia Alam

For one person, living is cheaper in Setia Alam: $904 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Setia Alam
Learn more

Setia Alam Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Setia Alam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $904 in Setia Alam.

Phuket $1,278
Setia Alam $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,353 in Setia Alam.

Phuket $2,216
Setia Alam $1,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,801 in Setia Alam.

Phuket $3,154
Setia Alam $1,801

Living in Phuket is roughly 41% more expensive than in Setia Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Setia Alam 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.75 MYR 19.28

-5.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$24.61 MYR 99.8

31.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.98 MYR 20.18

76.91%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.79 MYR 11.32

1.43%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.77 MYR 3.10

12.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.45 MYR 1.84

8.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.40 MYR 17.83

-41.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.03 MYR 24.46

-38.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.48 MYR 6.02

12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.72 MYR 2.91

102.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.59 MYR 2.40

154.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.15 MYR 4.67

81.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.91 MYR 56.4

37.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.51 MYR 10.18

31.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$2.51 MYR 10.18

334.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.19 MYR 4.83

146.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.85 MYR 7.51

-8.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.24 MYR 5.04

81.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.21 MYR 4.89

71.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.69 MYR 2.81

118.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.70 MYR 2.83

97.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.70 MYR 2.85

52.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.72 MYR 2.91

-27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.18 MYR 16.93

0.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$19.78 MYR 80.2

-5.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.49 MYR 14.15

-47.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.99 MYR 20.23

-43.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.75 MYR 3.03

93.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$12.39 MYR 50.2

357.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.21 MYR 4.89

149.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.21 MYR 4.90

-15.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$4.77 MYR 19.32

-22.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.49 MYR 1.98

200.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$39.5K MYR 159.9K

-32.13%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$33.4K MYR 135.2K

-19.98%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$61.0 MYR 247

57.95%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.67 MYR 35.14

29.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$25.85 MYR 105

-34.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$51.1 MYR 207

31.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.74 MYR 27.33

59.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.00 MYR 20.26

50.00%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$235 MYR 951

102.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$7,890 MYR 32.0K

42.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$72.5 MYR 294

-14.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$26.70 MYR 108

6.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$53.5 MYR 217

76.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$36.15 MYR 147

137.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$522 MYR 2,116

37.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$313 MYR 1,269

56.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$843 MYR 3,418

128.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$544 MYR 2,207

162.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,033 MYR 8,242

105.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,188 MYR 4,816

156.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,152 MYR 4,670

-56.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.25%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Setia Alam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Setia Alam

$313 34.7% 36.2% $178

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Setia Alam

$201 22.2% 24.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Setia Alam

$96 10.6% 23.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Setia Alam

$85 9.4% 30.3% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Setia Alam

$125 13.9% 3% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Setia Alam

$61 6.8% 25.7% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Setia Alam

$23 2.5% 67.9% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $522 in Setia Alam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Setia Alam pays about 2.3 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 $25 in Setia Alam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $201 per month, with Setia Alam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Setia Alam

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

08:46 8:46 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

150,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Setia Alam 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Setia Alam

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 Setia Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Setia Alam is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 56% 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 $522 in Setia Alam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $235 in Setia Alam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Setia Alam 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 Setia Alam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Setia Alam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.