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

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 39.9% more expensive than Tawau without rent, and 48.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 21.9% more expensive than Tawau without rent, and 89.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.68 ฿151

$3.6 MYR 15.19

30.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.4 ฿1,502

$19.17 MYR 80.9

142.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.65 ฿280

$4.02 MYR 16.96

115.17%

Cappuccino

$3.09 ฿100

$2.31 MYR 9.75

33.77%

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

$0.73 ฿23.53

$0.74 MYR 3.11

-1.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.39 MYR 1.65

-5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 ฿77.4

$2.41 MYR 10.16

-0.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 ฿117

$3.36 MYR 14.17

7.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 ฿72.5

$1.56 MYR 6.56

43.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.8 ฿58.2

$1.3 MYR 5.49

38.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿72.3

$1.73 MYR 7.3

29.48%

Eggs

$2.23 ฿72.1

$2.05 MYR 8.63

8.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.31 ฿625

$15.13 MYR 63.8

27.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.77 ฿122

$4.48 MYR 18.91

-15.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿422

$9.58 MYR 40.4

36.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿106

$2.86 MYR 12.06

14.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ฿52.6

$1.48 MYR 6.22

10.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.4 ฿77.7

$2.6 MYR 10.98

-7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ฿64.3

$1.44 MYR 6.05

38.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.62

$1.18 MYR 4.96

29.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 ฿48.11

$1.33 MYR 5.6

12.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿32.87

$1.04 MYR 4.4

-1.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.61

$0.55 MYR 2.33

-12.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 ฿140

$4.3 MYR 18.13

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.68 ฿702

$14.44 MYR 60.9

50.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿57.3

$2.88 MYR 12.13

-38.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿90.4

$2.94 MYR 12.39

-5.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ฿43.74

$0.68 MYR 2.85

98.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.76 ฿380

$11.97 MYR 50.5

-1.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 ฿102

$1.16 MYR 4.9

171.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1 ฿32.3

$0.98 MYR 4.15

2.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.64 ฿442

$5.77 MYR 24.33

136.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.3 ฿42.2

$0.49 MYR 2.09

165.31%

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

$27.4K ฿885.2K

$35.7K MYR 150.5K

-23.36%

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

$33.9K ฿1.1M

$31K MYR 130.6K

9.50%

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

$123 ฿3,970

$43.49 MYR 183

182.09%

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

$13.93 ฿451

$9.16 MYR 38.65

52.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.24 ฿590

$28.84 MYR 122

-36.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 ฿1,966

$37.56 MYR 158

61.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.11 ฿554

$5.93 MYR 24.99

188.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿294

$2.91 MYR 12.27

211.68%

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

$694 ฿22.5K

$191 MYR 804

264.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ฿514.4K

$7,045 MYR 29.7K

125.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ฿1,861

$59.8 MYR 252

-3.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.51 ฿1,117

$27.2 MYR 115

26.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,727

$72.8 MYR 307

58.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.8 ฿2,743

$50.5 MYR 213

68.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 ฿19.8K

$387 MYR 1,633

57.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$442 ฿14.3K

$266 MYR 1,123

66.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,014 ฿65.2K

$646 MYR 2,724

211.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 ฿47.2K

$478 MYR 2,015

205.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,244 ฿137.3K

$1,845 MYR 7,781

130.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,886 ฿93.4K

$1,106 MYR 4,664

160.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$697 ฿22.5K

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: October 29, 2025

Last update for Tawau: October 26, 2025

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