Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sibu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $905 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
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Phuket Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sibu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $905 in Sibu.

Phuket $1,278
Sibu $905

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,406 in Sibu.

Phuket $2,216
Sibu $1,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,906 in Sibu.

Phuket $3,154
Sibu $1,906

Living in Phuket is roughly 41% more expensive than in Sibu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.26 MYR 9.14

97.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$19.22 MYR 77.9

68.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.23 MYR 17.14

108.27%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.30 MYR 9.31

23.04%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.61 MYR 2.48

42.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.23 MYR 0.93

113.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.86 MYR 11.60

-10.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.46 MYR 18.08

-17.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.76 MYR 7.14

-5.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.87 MYR 3.54

67.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.33 MYR 5.37

12.78%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.18 MYR 8.82

-4.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.35 MYR 54.1

42.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.90 MYR 19.88

-32.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.92 MYR 40.23

9.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.86 MYR 11.60

2.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.81 MYR 7.35

-6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.36 MYR 9.58

-4.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.69 MYR 6.86

23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.38 MYR 5.59

9.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.33 MYR 5.40

3.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.06 MYR 4.28

0.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.56 MYR 2.28

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.48 MYR 18.18

-6.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$19.27 MYR 78.1

-2.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.02 MYR 12.23

-39.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.61 MYR 18.71

-38.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.79 MYR 3.21

83.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$11.49 MYR 46.59

393.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.04 MYR 4.24

190.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.61 MYR 2.48

67.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.27 MYR 29.47

-49.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.87 MYR 3.51

68.97%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$45.5K MYR 184.6K

-41.18%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$36.2K MYR 146.6K

-26.17%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$48.91 MYR 198

96.99%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.37 MYR 29.86

52.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$26.21 MYR 106

-35.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$27.13 MYR 110

147.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.38 MYR 25.88

68.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.72 MYR 15.10

101.61%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$243 MYR 984

96.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$6,876 MYR 27.9K

63.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$56.1 MYR 228

11.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$36.43 MYR 148

-22.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$69.2 MYR 281

36.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$78.2 MYR 317

9.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$390 MYR 1,579

83.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$318 MYR 1,288

54.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$698 MYR 2,828

176.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$630 MYR 2,552

127.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,136 MYR 8,660

95.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,165 MYR 4,723

161.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$487 MYR 1,974

3.16%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Sibu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sibu

$318 35.1% 35.3% $173

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sibu

$258 28.6% 2.9% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sibu

$82 9.1% 33.7% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sibu

$108 11.9% 11.4% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sibu

$85 9.4% 30.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sibu

$35 3.8% 57.9% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sibu

$19 2.1% 73.4% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $390 in Sibu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $19 in Sibu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $258 per month, with Sibu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Sibu

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

14:27 2:27 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

198,239

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Sibu 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sibu

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 Sibu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sibu is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $390 in Sibu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $243 in Sibu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Expats usually find Sibu 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.