Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matara and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Matara: $576 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Matara
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Matara Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Matara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$576

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $576 per month in Matara vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Matara $576
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $839 per month in Matara vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Matara $839
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,102 per month in Matara vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Matara $1,102
Phuket $3,154

Matara is about 55% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Matara and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Matara 58% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 LKR 1,241

$4.47 ฿151

-16.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.54 LKR 8,159

$32.41 ฿1,094

-24.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 LKR 2,503

$8.81 ฿297

-14.53%

Cappuccino

$2.44 LKR 810

$2.83 ฿95.5

-13.78%

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

$0.67 LKR 222

$0.87 ฿29.43

-22.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.1

$0.49 ฿16.67

-48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 LKR 741

$2.56 ฿86.4

-12.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,017

$3.68 ฿124

-16.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 519

$1.66 ฿56.0

-6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 177

$1.46 ฿49.35

-63.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 253

$1.50 ฿50.6

-49.33%

Eggs

$1.53 LKR 509

$2.09 ฿70.5

-26.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 LKR 4,514

$19.07 ฿644

-28.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 LKR 1,609

$3.30 ฿111

46.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 LKR 2,415

$10.91 ฿368

-33.46%

Apples (1kg)

$6.71 LKR 2,230

$2.93 ฿99.0

129.01%

Banana (1kg)

$0.43 LKR 142

$1.69 ฿57.1

-74.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 LKR 1,481

$2.25 ฿75.8

98.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.91 LKR 302

$2.08 ฿70.1

-56.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 LKR 306

$1.51 ฿51.0

-39.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 LKR 193

$1.38 ฿46.56

-57.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 LKR 295

$1.07 ฿35.99

-16.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 151

$0.52 ฿17.52

-11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.85 LKR 3,276

$4.20 ฿142

134.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 LKR 4,303

$18.79 ฿634

-31.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 LKR 596

$1.82 ฿61.5

-1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 997

$2.84 ฿95.9

5.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 LKR 104

$1.45 ฿49.03

-78.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 133

$3.02 ฿102

-86.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$1.02 ฿34.36

-65.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 LKR 317

$3.69 ฿125

-74.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 458

$1.47 ฿49.81

-6.12%

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

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

65.22%

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

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

54.89%

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

$46.17 LKR 15.4K

$96.4 ฿3,254

-52.08%

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

$4.22 LKR 1,403

$11.26 ฿380

-62.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.99 LKR 6,977

$16.85 ฿569

24.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 LKR 1,530

$7.50 ฿253

-38.67%

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

$38.17 LKR 12.7K

$476 ฿16.1K

-91.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,204 LKR 400.4K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-89.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.04 LKR 5,997

$62.4 ฿2,106

-71.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.90 LKR 5,618

$28.41 ฿959

-40.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 LKR 26.2K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-16.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.70 LKR 13.9K

$85.8 ฿2,898

-51.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$179 LKR 59.6K

$716 ฿24.2K

-74.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$90.1 LKR 30.0K

$491 ฿16.6K

-81.65%

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)

$105 LKR 34.8K

$502 ฿17.0K

-79.17%

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 Matara: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Matara

$229 39.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 16.2% $37

Eating Out

Matara

$103 17.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 18.6% $19

Accommodation & Living

Matara

$90 15.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 445% $401

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matara

$71 12.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 74.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Matara

$70 12.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 74.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Matara

$9.2 * 1.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 793% $73

Getting Around

Matara

$3.4 * 0.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 1982% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $179 in Matara versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Matara versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $266 – making Matara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Matara

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Matara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Matara Phuket 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Matara
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

Matara vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 122%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $864 per month in Matara and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $179 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $576 in Matara and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Matara about 55% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $38 per month in Matara and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Matara, where all-in costs run around $576, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Matara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Matara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

If budget matters most, go with Matara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.