Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tawau Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tawau

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 35% more expensive than Tawau without rent, and 49% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 21.5% more expensive than Tawau without rent, and 94.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.65 ฿149

$3.63 MYR 14.35

28.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.11 ฿1,474

$19.06 MYR 75.3

141.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 ฿279

$4.23 MYR 16.70

106.62%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ฿97.1

$2.30 MYR 9.10

32.17%

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

$0.72 ฿23.03

$0.78 MYR 3.08

-7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿12.50

$0.37 MYR 1.46

5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿78.0

$2.32 MYR 9.15

5.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 ฿121

$3.35 MYR 13.22

13.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ฿68.6

$1.59 MYR 6.28

34.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 ฿59.5

$1.35 MYR 5.33

37.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ฿69.9

$1.68 MYR 6.65

30.36%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿71.8

$2.15 MYR 8.50

4.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.73 ฿631

$14.95 MYR 59.1

31.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.79 ฿121

$4.40 MYR 17.38

-13.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 ฿433

$9.66 MYR 38.17

40.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 ฿104

$2.88 MYR 11.39

12.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 ฿53.4

$1.52 MYR 6.02

9.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ฿76.5

$2.51 MYR 9.92

-4.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 ฿66.9

$1.39 MYR 5.48

50.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿48.88

$1.19 MYR 4.68

28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿48.27

$1.28 MYR 5.05

17.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿31.62

$1.04 MYR 4.12

-4.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.46

$0.52 MYR 2.06

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿137

$4.25 MYR 16.80

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.31 ฿649

$18.73 MYR 74.0

8.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿57.3

$2.87 MYR 11.32

-37.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ฿88.5

$3.00 MYR 11.83

-7.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿44.89

$0.73 MYR 2.88

91.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿374

$11.76 MYR 46.46

-0.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿99.4

$1.21 MYR 4.78

157.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿31.80

$0.99 MYR 3.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.73 ฿439

$6.02 MYR 23.78

128.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ฿42.17

$0.50 MYR 1.99

164.00%

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

$27.2K ฿870.7K

$34.8K MYR 137.5K

-21.74%

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

$34.1K ฿1.1M

$31.4K MYR 124.0K

8.70%

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

$120 ฿3,849

$44.25 MYR 175

172.09%

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

$13.93 ฿445

$9.08 MYR 35.86

53.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿585

$28.91 MYR 114

-36.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 ฿1,948

$37.15 MYR 147

64.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 ฿551

$5.85 MYR 23.10

194.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.71 ฿278

$2.86 MYR 11.30

204.55%

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

$698 ฿22.3K

$187 MYR 740

272.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿503.0K

$6,821 MYR 26.9K

130.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ฿1,843

$60.3 MYR 238

-4.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.24 ฿1,095

$27.11 MYR 107

26.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,618

$72.6 MYR 287

55.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.8 ฿2,711

$50.5 MYR 199

67.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$604 ฿19.3K

$386 MYR 1,526

56.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 ฿13.9K

$273 MYR 1,080

59.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 ฿65.8K

$632 MYR 2,498

225.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 ฿47.9K

$466 MYR 1,841

221.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,252 ฿135.9K

$1,850 MYR 7,308

129.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,988 ฿95.5K

$981 MYR 3,876

204.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$529 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

4.07

30.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

Last update for Tawau: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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