Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kolonnawa and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolonnawa: $488 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Kolonnawa
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Kolonnawa Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$488

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $488 per month in Kolonnawa vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Kolonnawa $488
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $794 per month in Kolonnawa vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Kolonnawa $794
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,100 per month in Kolonnawa vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Kolonnawa $1,100
Phuket $3,154

Kolonnawa is about 62% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Kolonnawa and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Kolonnawa 64% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 LKR 1,285

$4.47 ฿151

-13.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.33 LKR 8,422

$32.41 ฿1,094

-21.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 LKR 2,453

$8.81 ฿297

-16.23%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 816

$2.83 ฿95.5

-13.43%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$0.87 ฿29.43

-18.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.49 ฿16.67

-48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 LKR 718

$2.56 ฿86.4

-15.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,018

$3.68 ฿124

-16.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 519

$1.66 ฿56.0

-6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 178

$1.46 ฿49.35

-63.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 LKR 192

$1.50 ฿50.6

-61.33%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$2.09 ฿70.5

-20.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 LKR 3,502

$19.07 ฿644

-44.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.63 LKR 1,539

$3.30 ฿111

40.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.32 LKR 2,433

$10.91 ฿368

-32.91%

Apples (1kg)

$6.75 LKR 2,243

$2.93 ฿99.0

130.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 281

$1.69 ฿57.1

-49.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 LKR 1,472

$2.25 ฿75.8

96.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 439

$2.08 ฿70.1

-36.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$1.51 ฿51.0

-31.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.38 ฿46.56

-44.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$1.07 ฿35.99

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$0.52 ฿17.52

-17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.34 LKR 3,436

$4.20 ฿142

146.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 LKR 3,489

$18.79 ฿634

-44.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 LKR 588

$1.82 ฿61.5

-2.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 LKR 738

$2.84 ฿95.9

-21.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.2

$1.45 ฿49.03

-88.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$3.02 ฿102

-86.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$1.02 ฿34.36

-65.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

$3.69 ฿125

-74.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 LKR 442

$1.47 ฿49.81

-9.52%

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

$43.9K LKR 14.6M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

63.78%

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

$41.1K LKR 13.7M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

54.03%

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

$59.6 LKR 19.8K

$96.4 ฿3,254

-38.16%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$11.26 ฿380

-62.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,870

$16.85 ฿569

22.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 LKR 1,546

$7.50 ฿253

-38.00%

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

$37.35 LKR 12.4K

$476 ฿16.1K

-92.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,188 LKR 394.9K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-89.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.07 LKR 6,007

$62.4 ฿2,106

-71.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.73 LKR 5,562

$28.41 ฿959

-41.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 LKR 26.6K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-15.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.69 LKR 13.9K

$85.8 ฿2,898

-51.41%

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

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 Kolonnawa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kolonnawa

$217 44.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 22.4% $49

Eating Out

Kolonnawa

$103 21.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 17.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kolonnawa

$84 17.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 47.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Kolonnawa

$70 14.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 73% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Kolonnawa

$9.3 * 1.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 784% $73

Getting Around

Kolonnawa

$2.8 * 0.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 2430% $68

Accommodation & Living

Kolonnawa

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

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 Kolonnawa versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $266 – making Kolonnawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kolonnawa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:49 2:49 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Kolonnawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,800

79,308

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kolonnawa Phuket 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Kolonnawa
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

Kolonnawa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 162% more than Kolonnawa, 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 $732 per month in Kolonnawa and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $488 in Kolonnawa and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Kolonnawa about 62% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $37 per month in Kolonnawa and $476 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 Kolonnawa, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Kolonnawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kolonnawa costs $488 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.