Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bentota and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $777 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
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Bentota Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$777

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $777 in Bentota versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Bentota $777
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $896 in Bentota versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Bentota $896
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,014 in Bentota versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Bentota $1,014
Phuket $3,115

Living in Bentota costs roughly 40% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bentota 42% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.78 LKR 1,257

$4.39 ฿147

-13.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.00 LKR 3,992

$32.31 ฿1,085

-62.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 LKR 2,447

$8.70 ฿292

-15.40%

Cappuccino

$2.47 LKR 822

$2.72 ฿91.5

-9.19%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$0.93 ฿31.25

-23.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.1

$0.50 ฿16.78

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 LKR 728

$2.53 ฿85.0

-13.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 LKR 1,031

$3.63 ฿122

-14.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 523

$1.74 ฿58.4

-9.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$1.45 ฿48.73

-64.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 267

$1.50 ฿50.5

-46.67%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 549

$2.17 ฿73.0

-23.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.18 LKR 5,049

$19.09 ฿641

-20.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 LKR 1,119

$3.40 ฿114

-1.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.47 LKR 1,488

$10.90 ฿366

-58.99%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 LKR 2,247

$2.94 ฿98.8

129.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 254

$1.69 ฿56.8

-55.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 LKR 1,356

$2.19 ฿73.7

86.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 LKR 287

$2.12 ฿71.4

-59.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 LKR 357

$1.46 ฿48.99

-26.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 274

$1.37 ฿45.95

-40.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 LKR 402

$1.08 ฿36.14

12.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 139

$0.55 ฿18.32

-23.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 LKR 3,347

$4.43 ฿149

127.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.69 LKR 4,554

$18.25 ฿613

-24.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 631

$1.77 ฿59.5

7.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 LKR 956

$2.88 ฿96.8

-0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 LKR 62.4

$1.45 ฿48.62

-86.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 126

$1.51 ฿50.8

-74.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 LKR 96.3

$0.78 ฿26.06

-62.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

$3.84 ฿129

-75.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 LKR 461

$1.49 ฿49.96

-6.71%

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

$44.0K LKR 14.7M

$26.9K ฿902.9K

63.85%

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

$45.0K LKR 15.0M

$26.3K ฿884.9K

70.76%

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

$57.4 LKR 19.1K

$97.8 ฿3,285

-41.37%

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

$2.32 LKR 770

$11.29 ฿379

-79.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.88 LKR 2,952

$17.19 ฿577

-48.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$4.59 LKR 1,526

$7.43 ฿250

-38.22%

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

$40.65 LKR 13.5K

$530 ฿17.8K

-92.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

$18.8K ฿630.9K

-7.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.34 LKR 6,102

$61.7 ฿2,072

-70.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.33 LKR 5,763

$28.25 ฿949

-38.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$96.0 ฿3,225

-19.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.51 LKR 13.8K

$86.8 ฿2,916

-52.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 LKR 181.7K

$721 ฿24.2K

-24.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 LKR 100.4K

$509 ฿17.1K

-40.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

5.57

124.42%

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

Last update for Bentota: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bentota

$302 38.8%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 68.7% $207

Groceries & Markets

Bentota

$223 28.7%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 19.8% $44

Eating Out

Bentota

$103 13.2%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 16.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Bentota

$70 9%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 76.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bentota

$69 8.8%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 84.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Bentota

$9.2 * 1.2%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 807% $74

Getting Around

Bentota

$2.6 * 0.3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 2461% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $546 in Bentota and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12 in Bentota vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $267 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Bentota

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Bentota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bentota Phuket 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bentota
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

Bentota vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bentota is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,166 in Bentota and $1,940 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $546 in Bentota versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $777 per month in Bentota versus $1,294 in Phuket – Bentota is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $777 in Bentota versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota 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.