Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sibu and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $905 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$905

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $905 in Sibu versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sibu $905
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,406 in Sibu versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sibu $1,406
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,906 in Sibu versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sibu $1,906
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sibu costs roughly 29% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sibu 34% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 MYR 9.15

$4.47 ฿151

-49.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.22 MYR 78.0

$32.41 ฿1,093

-40.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.23 MYR 17.15

$8.81 ฿297

-51.99%

Cappuccino

$2.30 MYR 9.31

$2.83 ฿95.4

-18.73%

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

$0.61 MYR 2.48

$0.87 ฿29.41

-29.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.93

$0.49 ฿16.65

-53.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 MYR 11.61

$2.56 ฿86.3

11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MYR 18.10

$3.68 ฿124

21.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MYR 7.15

$1.66 ฿55.9

6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$1.46 ฿49.31

-40.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.38

$1.50 ฿50.5

-11.33%

Eggs

$2.18 MYR 8.83

$2.09 ฿70.5

4.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.35 MYR 54.1

$19.07 ฿643

-29.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 MYR 19.90

$3.30 ฿111

48.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 MYR 40.26

$10.91 ฿368

-9.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MYR 11.61

$2.93 ฿98.9

-2.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 MYR 7.36

$1.69 ฿57.0

7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 MYR 9.58

$2.25 ฿75.8

4.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.87

$2.08 ฿70.0

-18.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.59

$1.51 ฿51.0

-8.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.41

$1.38 ฿46.52

-3.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MYR 4.29

$1.07 ฿35.96

-0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.28

$0.52 ฿17.51

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MYR 18.19

$4.20 ฿142

6.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.27 MYR 78.2

$18.79 ฿634

2.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.24

$1.82 ฿61.5

65.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.72

$2.84 ฿95.8

62.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$1.45 ฿48.98

-45.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.49 MYR 46.62

$56.7 ฿1,912

-79.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 MYR 4.24

$3.02 ฿102

-65.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 MYR 2.48

$1.02 ฿34.33

-40.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.27 MYR 29.49

$3.69 ฿125

97.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.51

$1.47 ฿49.76

-40.82%

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

$45.5K MYR 184.7K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

70.01%

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

$36.2K MYR 146.7K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

35.44%

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

$48.91 MYR 198

$96.4 ฿3,251

-49.24%

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

$7.37 MYR 29.89

$11.26 ฿380

-34.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 MYR 106

$16.85 ฿568

55.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.13 MYR 110

$67.2 ฿2,268

-59.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.38 MYR 25.90

$10.73 ฿362

-40.54%

Cinema Ticket

$3.72 MYR 15.11

$7.50 ฿253

-50.40%

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

$243 MYR 985

$476 ฿16.1K

-48.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,876 MYR 27.9K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-38.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 MYR 228

$62.4 ฿2,104

-9.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 MYR 148

$28.41 ฿958

28.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 MYR 281

$94.3 ฿3,181

-26.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 MYR 317

$85.8 ฿2,895

-8.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 MYR 1,580

$716 ฿24.2K

-45.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 MYR 1,289

$491 ฿16.6K

-35.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 MYR 2,830

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-63.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 MYR 2,554

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-55.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,136 MYR 8,667

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-48.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 MYR 4,727

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-61.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$487 MYR 1,975

$502 ฿16.9K

-3.06%

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 Sibu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sibu

$318 35.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 54.5% $173

Groceries & Markets

Sibu

$258 28.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 3% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Sibu

$108 11.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 12.9% $14

Eating Out

Sibu

$85 9.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 43.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sibu

$82 9.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 50.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Sibu

$35 3.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 138% $48

Getting Around

Sibu

$19 2.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 276% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $390 in Sibu and $716 in Phuket. 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: $19 in Sibu vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $266 per month, with Sibu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sibu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

1 h behind Sibu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,239

79,308

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sibu Phuket 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sibu
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

Sibu vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sibu is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Sibu. 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: $390 in Sibu versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $243 in Sibu 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 3% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sibu 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, Sibu and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Sibu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.