Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarawak and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarawak: $954 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sarawak
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Sarawak Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sarawak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$954

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sarawak and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sarawak and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $954 in Sarawak versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sarawak $954
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,408 in Sarawak versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sarawak $1,408
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,862 in Sarawak versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sarawak $1,862
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sarawak costs roughly 25% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sarawak 30% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.60

$4.47 ฿151

-19.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.96 MYR 81.3

$32.41 ฿1,094

-38.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MYR 19.16

$8.81 ฿297

-46.65%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 12.06

$2.83 ฿95.5

4.59%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.13

$0.87 ฿29.43

-11.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.59

$0.49 ฿16.67

-20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.95 MYR 16.08

$2.56 ฿86.4

54.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 MYR 18.63

$3.68 ฿124

24.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 MYR 7.13

$1.66 ฿56.0

5.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 MYR 4.98

$1.46 ฿49.35

-16.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.53

$1.50 ฿50.6

-9.33%

Eggs

$2.26 MYR 9.20

$2.09 ฿70.5

8.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.46 MYR 58.9

$19.07 ฿644

-24.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 MYR 16.58

$3.30 ฿111

23.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 40.13

$10.91 ฿368

-9.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MYR 11.81

$2.93 ฿99.0

-1.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.89

$1.69 ฿57.1

-14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 MYR 9.72

$2.25 ฿75.8

5.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.34

$2.08 ฿70.1

-37.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.02

$1.51 ฿51.0

-18.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$1.38 ฿46.56

-10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MYR 4.50

$1.07 ฿35.99

3.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 MYR 1.89

$0.52 ฿17.52

-11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MYR 17.41

$4.20 ฿142

1.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MYR 68.7

$18.79 ฿634

-10.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 MYR 11.94

$1.82 ฿61.5

60.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 MYR 16.40

$2.84 ฿95.9

41.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.05

$1.45 ฿49.03

-48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.56 MYR 43.04

$56.7 ฿1,913

-81.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 MYR 4.55

$3.02 ฿102

-62.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 MYR 2.08

$1.02 ฿34.36

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.93 MYR 28.22

$3.69 ฿125

87.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 MYR 3.15

$1.47 ฿49.81

-47.62%

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

$50.4K MYR 205.2K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

88.11%

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

$39.9K MYR 162.5K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

49.40%

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

$52.9 MYR 216

$96.4 ฿3,254

-45.06%

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

$10.66 MYR 43.43

$11.26 ฿380

-5.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.13 MYR 119

$16.85 ฿569

72.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.05 MYR 163

$67.2 ฿2,270

-40.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.22 MYR 29.42

$10.73 ฿362

-32.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.60 MYR 22.83

$7.50 ฿253

-25.33%

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

$241 MYR 981

$476 ฿16.1K

-49.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,956 MYR 28.3K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-38.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 MYR 237

$62.4 ฿2,106

-6.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.97 MYR 122

$28.41 ฿959

5.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 MYR 354

$94.3 ฿3,184

-7.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 MYR 309

$85.8 ฿2,898

-11.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$410 MYR 1,669

$716 ฿24.2K

-42.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 MYR 1,297

$491 ฿16.6K

-35.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 MYR 2,870

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-63.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 MYR 2,000

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-65.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,170 MYR 8,841

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-48.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,323 MYR 5,393

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-56.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 MYR 1,420

$502 ฿17.0K

-30.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

5.57

-27.11%

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

Last update for Sarawak: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarawak

$318 33.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 54.2% $173

Groceries & Markets

Sarawak

$249 26.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 6.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Sarawak

$113 11.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8% $9

Eating Out

Sarawak

$112 11.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8.8% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarawak

$93 9.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 34.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sarawak

$51 5.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 60.4% $31

Getting Around

Sarawak

$17 1.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 310% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $410 in Sarawak and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 44% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Sarawak vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $266 per month, with Sarawak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sarawak

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

00:44 12:44 AM

1 h behind Sarawak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sarawak Phuket 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sarawak
Phuket

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

Sarawak vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sarawak is cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and groceries. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Sarawak. 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: $410 in Sarawak versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $241 in Sarawak versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $954 in Sarawak versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sarawak but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sarawak 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, Sarawak and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sarawak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.