Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sentul and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sentul: $869 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Sentul
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Sentul Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sentul

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$869

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sentul 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 Sentul and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $869 in Sentul versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sentul $869
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,351 in Sentul versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sentul $1,351
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,833 in Sentul versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sentul $1,833
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sentul costs roughly 32% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sentul 36% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.63

$4.47 ฿151

-19.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.02 MYR 90.0

$32.41 ฿1,094

-32.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.75 MYR 19.40

$8.81 ฿297

-46.08%

Cappuccino

$2.93 MYR 11.97

$2.83 ฿95.5

3.53%

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

$0.82 MYR 3.36

$0.87 ฿29.43

-5.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$0.49 ฿16.67

4.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 MYR 13.37

$2.56 ฿86.4

27.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.82 MYR 23.78

$3.68 ฿124

58.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MYR 7.05

$1.66 ฿56.0

3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MYR 4.17

$1.46 ฿49.35

-30.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.89

$1.50 ฿50.6

-4.00%

Eggs

$1.73 MYR 7.08

$2.09 ฿70.5

-17.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 MYR 39.92

$19.07 ฿644

-48.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 MYR 13.70

$3.30 ฿111

1.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MYR 39.59

$10.91 ฿368

-11.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 MYR 13.50

$2.93 ฿99.0

12.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.84

$1.69 ฿57.1

-1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 MYR 11.18

$2.25 ฿75.8

21.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.54

$2.08 ฿70.1

-23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.80

$1.51 ฿51.0

-5.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.85

$1.38 ฿46.56

21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 MYR 5.45

$1.07 ฿35.99

24.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.21

$0.52 ฿17.52

3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 MYR 17.71

$4.20 ฿142

3.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 MYR 57.1

$18.79 ฿634

-25.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 MYR 10.92

$1.82 ฿61.5

46.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 MYR 12.42

$2.84 ฿95.9

7.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 MYR 3.43

$1.45 ฿49.03

-42.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.36 MYR 50.5

$56.7 ฿1,913

-78.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 MYR 4.16

$3.02 ฿102

-66.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.57

$1.02 ฿34.36

-62.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 MYR 36.41

$3.69 ฿125

141.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.26

$1.47 ฿49.81

-45.58%

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

$43.9K MYR 179.5K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

64.01%

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

$35.2K MYR 144.0K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

31.99%

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

$48.67 MYR 199

$96.4 ฿3,254

-49.49%

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

$8.10 MYR 33.09

$11.26 ฿380

-28.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.45 MYR 108

$16.85 ฿569

56.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.55 MYR 158

$67.2 ฿2,270

-42.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.36 MYR 30.09

$10.73 ฿362

-31.41%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 MYR 19.85

$7.50 ฿253

-35.20%

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

$234 MYR 956

$476 ฿16.1K

-50.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,527 MYR 18.5K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-59.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 MYR 212

$62.4 ฿2,106

-16.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.61 MYR 67.9

$28.41 ฿959

-41.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 MYR 321

$94.3 ฿3,184

-16.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 MYR 350

$85.8 ฿2,898

-0.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,741

$716 ฿24.2K

-40.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 MYR 1,125

$491 ฿16.6K

-43.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 MYR 3,372

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-57.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 MYR 2,158

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-63.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,029 MYR 8,294

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-51.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,176 MYR 4,807

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-61.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$872 MYR 3,563

$502 ฿17.0K

73.55%

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 Sentul: 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

Sentul

$275 31.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 78.3% $216

Groceries & Markets

Sentul

$228 26.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 17% $39

Eating Out

Sentul

$111 12.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 9.3% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Sentul

$105 12.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sentul

$83 9.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 49.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Sentul

$48 5.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 70.4% $34

Getting Around

Sentul

$19 2.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 278% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $426 in Sentul and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sentul pays 74% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $22 in Sentul vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $266 per month, with Sentul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sentul

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

21:01 9:01 PM

1 h behind Sentul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

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 = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sentul Phuket 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sentul
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

Sentul vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sentul is cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. The 47% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 74% higher in Sentul, 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: $426 in Sentul versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $234 in Sentul 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 17% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sentul 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, Sentul 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 Sentul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.