Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sungai Petani

For one person, living is cheaper in Sungai Petani: $804 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Sungai Petani
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Sungai Petani Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sungai Petani

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sungai Petani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $804 in Sungai Petani.

Phuket $1,278
Sungai Petani $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,203 in Sungai Petani.

Phuket $2,216
Sungai Petani $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,602 in Sungai Petani.

Phuket $3,154
Sungai Petani $1,602

Living in Phuket is roughly 59% more expensive than in Sungai Petani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Sungai Petani 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.51 MYR 10.19

78.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$17.12 MYR 69.5

89.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.49 MYR 18.23

96.21%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.47 MYR 10.03

14.57%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.75 MYR 3.06

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.39 MYR 1.56

25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.53 MYR 14.30

-27.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.44 MYR 18.03

-17.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.79 MYR 7.28

-7.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.10 MYR 4.47

32.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.69 MYR 6.85

-11.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.26 MYR 9.18

-7.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$9.98 MYR 40.49

91.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.52 MYR 18.34

-26.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.89 MYR 36.06

22.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.02 MYR 12.24

-2.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.62 MYR 6.56

4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.71 MYR 11.01

-16.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.40 MYR 5.68

48.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.09 MYR 4.44

38.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.07 MYR 4.35

28.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.13 MYR 4.60

-5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.59 MYR 2.38

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.31 MYR 17.48

-2.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$19.25 MYR 78.1

-2.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.86 MYR 11.61

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$5.15 MYR 20.90

-44.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.70 MYR 2.84

107.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$12.26 MYR 49.74

362.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.75 MYR 7.08

72.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.38 MYR 1.53

168.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.49 MYR 30.38

-50.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.48 MYR 1.97

206.25%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$44.6K MYR 181.1K

-40.00%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$35.0K MYR 141.9K

-23.70%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$36.69 MYR 149

162.61%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.93 MYR 40.28

13.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$19.96 MYR 81.0

-15.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$24.41 MYR 99.0

175.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.42 MYR 58.5

-25.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.86 MYR 11.62

162.24%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$397 MYR 1,609

19.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$10.6K MYR 42.8K

6.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$59.4 MYR 241

5.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$34.60 MYR 140

-17.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$74.4 MYR 302

26.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$69.8 MYR 283

22.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$180 MYR 731

297.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$241 MYR 976

103.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$480 MYR 1,947

301.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$365 MYR 1,481

291.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,202 MYR 4,877

247.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$480 MYR 1,948

534.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$490 MYR 1,986

2.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.04

37.87%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sungai Petani: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sungai Petani

$241 29.9% 51% $250

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sungai Petani

$247 30.7% 7.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sungai Petani

$67 8.3% 46.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sungai Petani

$107 13.3% 12.1% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sungai Petani

$94 11.7% 22.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sungai Petani

$30 3.8% 63.3% $52

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sungai Petani

$19 2.3% 73.5% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $180 in Sungai Petani. 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 $17 in Sungai Petani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $247 per month, with Sungai Petani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇾 Sungai Petani

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

07:12 7:12 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

545,053

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Phuket Sungai Petani 340 km

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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 Sungai Petani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sungai Petani is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,206 in Sungai Petani to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $180 in Sungai Petani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $397 in Sungai Petani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $804 in Sungai Petani versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sungai Petani but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sungai Petani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Sungai Petani are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Sungai Petani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.