Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Horana and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Horana: $456 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Horana, Sri Lanka
Phuket, Thailand
Horana
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$456
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $456 in Horana versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Horana $456
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Horana versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Horana $735
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,014 in Horana versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Horana $1,014
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Horana costs roughly 64% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Horana 67% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Horana
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.84 LKR 610
$4.47 ฿151
-58.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.86 LKR 8,262
$32.41 ฿1,094
-23.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.47 LKR 2,483
$8.81 ฿297
-15.21%
Cappuccino
$2.52 LKR 838
$2.83 ฿95.5
-10.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 LKR 195
$0.87 ฿29.43
-32.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.22 LKR 73.3
$0.49 ฿16.67
-55.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.25 LKR 747
$2.56 ฿86.4
-12.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 LKR 1,021
$3.68 ฿124
-16.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Horana
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 LKR 516
$1.66 ฿56.0
-6.63%
White Bread (500g)
$0.43 LKR 143
$1.46 ฿49.35
-70.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.61 LKR 204
$1.50 ฿50.6
-59.33%
Eggs
$1.69 LKR 562
$2.09 ฿70.5
-19.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.86 LKR 4,607
$19.07 ฿644
-27.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.99 LKR 1,327
$3.30 ฿111
20.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.44 LKR 2,471
$10.91 ฿368
-31.81%
Apples (1kg)
$2.37 LKR 787
$2.93 ฿99.0
-19.11%
Banana (1kg)
$0.34 LKR 114
$1.69 ฿57.1
-79.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.26 LKR 1,417
$2.25 ฿75.8
89.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.34 LKR 445
$2.08 ฿70.1
-35.58%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 LKR 216
$1.51 ฿51.0
-56.95%
Onion (1kg)
$0.69 LKR 230
$1.38 ฿46.56
-50.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.95 LKR 316
$1.07 ฿35.99
-11.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 LKR 153
$0.52 ฿17.52
-11.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.20 LKR 3,388
$4.20 ฿142
142.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.91 LKR 4,291
$18.79 ฿634
-31.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.88 LKR 625
$1.82 ฿61.5
3.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03 LKR 1,008
$2.84 ฿95.9
6.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Horana
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.45 ฿49.03
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,913
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.38 LKR 125
$3.02 ฿102
-87.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.37 LKR 124
$1.02 ฿34.36
-63.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.94 LKR 313
$3.69 ฿125
-74.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 LKR 437
$1.47 ฿49.81
-10.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$43.2K LKR 14.3M
$26.8K ฿904.3K
61.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.9K LKR 13.3M
$26.7K ฿901.3K
49.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Horana
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$58.2 LKR 19.4K
$96.4 ฿3,254
-39.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.02 LKR 1,004
$11.26 ฿380
-73.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.80 LKR 6,912
$16.85 ฿569
23.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Horana
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$67.2 ฿2,270
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.55 LKR 1,511
$7.50 ฿253
-39.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Horana
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$38.12 LKR 12.7K
$476 ฿16.1K
-91.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,188 LKR 394.8K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-89.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Horana
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.79 LKR 5,914
$62.4 ฿2,106
-71.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.33 LKR 5,428
$28.41 ฿959
-42.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.7 LKR 26.5K
$94.3 ฿3,184
-15.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$41.70 LKR 13.9K
$85.8 ฿2,898
-51.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Horana
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$716 ฿24.2K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$491 ฿16.6K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Horana
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$502 ฿17.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.69
5.57
127.83%

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

Last update for Horana: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Horana
$205
Phuket
$266 30.2% $62
Eating Out
Horana
$88
Phuket
$122 38.3% $34
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Horana
$82
Phuket
$124 51.7% $42
Clothing & Footwear
Horana
$70
Phuket
$122 74.2% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Horana
$9.1 *
Phuket
$82 805% $73
Getting Around
Horana
$2.2 *
Phuket
$71 3051% $68
Accommodation & Living
Horana
- *
Phuket
$491

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $25 in Horana vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $266 per month, with Horana cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇱🇰 Horana
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
21:36 9:36 PM
23:06 11:06 PM
1 h 30 min ahead of Horana
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,000
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Horana Phuket 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Horana
  • 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
Horana vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Horana cheaper than Phuket?
Horana is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and groceries. The 180% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $684 in Horana and $1,917 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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $38 in Horana versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Horana or in Phuket?
Dining out is cheaper in Horana – a meal for two runs $25 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Horana or in Phuket?
At $456 in Horana versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Horana but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Horana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Horana or in Phuket?
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.

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