Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kataragama and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kataragama: $508 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kataragama
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Kataragama Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kataragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$508

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $508 per month in Kataragama vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Kataragama $508
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $824 per month in Kataragama vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Kataragama $824
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $1,140 per month in Kataragama vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Kataragama $1,140
Phuket $3,115

Kataragama is about 61% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Kataragama and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Kataragama 62% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 LKR 1,286

$4.39 ฿147

-11.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.70 LKR 8,214

$32.31 ฿1,085

-23.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.34 LKR 2,440

$8.70 ฿292

-15.63%

Cappuccino

$2.43 LKR 807

$2.72 ฿91.5

-10.66%

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

$0.67 LKR 224

$0.93 ฿31.25

-27.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.8

$0.50 ฿16.78

-46.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 LKR 742

$2.53 ฿85.0

-11.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 LKR 1,025

$3.63 ฿122

-15.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 522

$1.74 ฿58.4

-9.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 LKR 187

$1.45 ฿48.73

-61.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 253

$1.50 ฿50.5

-49.33%

Eggs

$1.63 LKR 544

$2.17 ฿73.0

-24.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 LKR 5,015

$19.09 ฿641

-21.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 LKR 1,627

$3.40 ฿114

43.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 LKR 2,547

$10.90 ฿366

-29.72%

Apples (1kg)

$6.54 LKR 2,174

$2.94 ฿98.8

122.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 276

$1.69 ฿56.8

-50.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 LKR 1,358

$2.19 ฿73.7

86.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 LKR 437

$2.12 ฿71.4

-38.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 LKR 360

$1.46 ฿48.99

-26.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 276

$1.37 ฿45.95

-39.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 LKR 414

$1.08 ฿36.14

14.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.55 ฿18.32

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.29 LKR 3,422

$4.43 ฿149

132.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.61 LKR 4,527

$18.25 ฿613

-25.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 LKR 652

$1.77 ฿59.5

10.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 LKR 978

$2.88 ฿96.8

2.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$1.51 ฿50.8

-73.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 LKR 103

$0.78 ฿26.06

-60.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 LKR 285

$3.84 ฿129

-77.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 445

$1.49 ฿49.96

-10.07%

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

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

$26.9K ฿902.9K

62.05%

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

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

$26.3K ฿884.9K

73.23%

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

$56.8 LKR 18.9K

$97.8 ฿3,285

-41.89%

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

$4.15 LKR 1,380

$11.29 ฿379

-63.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 LKR 6,857

$17.19 ฿577

19.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$4.50 LKR 1,495

$7.43 ฿250

-39.43%

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

$39.71 LKR 13.2K

$530 ฿17.8K

-92.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

$18.8K ฿630.9K

-7.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.27 LKR 6,076

$61.7 ฿2,072

-70.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.51 LKR 5,825

$28.25 ฿949

-38.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$96.0 ฿3,225

-19.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.79 LKR 13.9K

$86.8 ฿2,916

-51.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

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 Kataragama: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kataragama

$242 47.7%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 10.1% $25

Eating Out

Kataragama

$103 20.3%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 15.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kataragama

$82 16.1%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 54.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Kataragama

$70 13.8%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 75.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Kataragama

$9 * 1.8%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 825% $74

Getting Around

Kataragama

$2 * 0.4%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 3288% $64

Accommodation & Living

Kataragama

- * 0%

Phuket

$509 39.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Kataragama versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $267 – making Kataragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kataragama

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

16:32 4:32 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Kataragama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

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

Kataragama Phuket 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kataragama
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

Kataragama vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 155% more than Kataragama, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $762 per month in Kataragama and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $508 in Kataragama and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Kataragama about 61% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $40 per month in Kataragama and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kataragama, where all-in costs run around $508, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Kataragama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $508 in Kataragama to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.