Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mirissa and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Mirissa: $506 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mirissa, Sri Lanka
Phuket, Thailand
Mirissa
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$506
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $506 per month in Mirissa vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Mirissa $506
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $821 per month in Mirissa vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Mirissa $821
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,135 per month in Mirissa vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Mirissa $1,135
  • Phuket $3,154

Mirissa is about 60% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Mirissa and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Mirissa 63% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mirissa
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.86 LKR 1,284
$4.47 ฿151
-13.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.85 LKR 8,261
$32.41 ฿1,094
-23.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.68 LKR 2,552
$8.81 ฿297
-12.83%
Cappuccino
$2.55 LKR 846
$2.83 ฿95.5
-9.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 LKR 221
$0.87 ฿29.43
-22.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.25 LKR 82.8
$0.49 ฿16.67
-48.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.26 LKR 751
$2.56 ฿86.4
-11.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 LKR 1,012
$3.68 ฿124
-17.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mirissa
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.65 LKR 547
$1.66 ฿56.0
-0.60%
White Bread (500g)
$0.57 LKR 190
$1.46 ฿49.35
-60.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.82 LKR 272
$1.50 ฿50.6
-45.33%
Eggs
$1.71 LKR 569
$2.09 ฿70.5
-18.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.66 LKR 4,540
$19.07 ฿644
-28.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.90 LKR 1,628
$3.30 ฿111
48.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.38 LKR 2,454
$10.91 ฿368
-32.36%
Apples (1kg)
$6.43 LKR 2,137
$2.93 ฿99.0
119.45%
Banana (1kg)
$0.79 LKR 263
$1.69 ฿57.1
-53.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.32 LKR 1,436
$2.25 ฿75.8
92.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.31 LKR 436
$2.08 ฿70.1
-37.02%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 LKR 347
$1.51 ฿51.0
-31.13%
Onion (1kg)
$0.79 LKR 262
$1.38 ฿46.56
-42.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.90 LKR 299
$1.07 ฿35.99
-15.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.42 LKR 140
$0.52 ฿17.52
-19.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.42 LKR 3,464
$4.20 ฿142
148.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.86 LKR 4,275
$18.79 ฿634
-31.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.97 LKR 654
$1.82 ฿61.5
8.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 LKR 970
$2.84 ฿95.9
2.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Mirissa
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)
$0.37 LKR 125
$3.02 ฿102
-87.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 LKR 125
$1.02 ฿34.36
-62.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.88 LKR 291
$3.69 ฿125
-76.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 LKR 462
$1.47 ฿49.81
-5.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.2K LKR 14.7M
$26.8K ฿904.3K
65.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.2K LKR 13.7M
$26.7K ฿901.3K
54.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mirissa
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$58.5 LKR 19.4K
$96.4 ฿3,254
-39.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.30 LKR 1,428
$11.26 ฿380
-61.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.97 LKR 6,972
$16.85 ฿569
24.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mirissa
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$67.2 ฿2,270
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.48 LKR 1,489
$7.50 ฿253
-40.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mirissa
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$37.09 LKR 12.3K
$476 ฿16.1K
-92.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,224 LKR 407.0K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-89.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mirissa
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.17 LKR 6,042
$62.4 ฿2,106
-70.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.29 LKR 5,415
$28.41 ฿959
-42.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.5 LKR 26.8K
$94.3 ฿3,184
-14.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$41.93 LKR 13.9K
$85.8 ฿2,898
-51.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mirissa
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
Mirissa
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 Mirissa: 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
Mirissa
$235
Phuket
$266 13.1% $31
Eating Out
Mirissa
$106
Phuket
$122 15.3% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mirissa
$84
Phuket
$124 48.7% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Mirissa
$71
Phuket
$122 72.6% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Mirissa
$9 *
Phuket
$82 818% $73
Getting Around
Mirissa
$2.3 *
Phuket
$71 3037% $68
Accommodation & Living
Mirissa
- *
Phuket
$491

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 Mirissa versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $266 – making Mirissa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇱🇰 Mirissa
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
03:36 3:36 AM
05:06 5:06 AM
1 h 30 min ahead of Mirissa
🌤 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mirissa Phuket 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mirissa
  • 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
Mirissa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Mirissa and in Phuket compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $506 in Mirissa, $1,278 in Phuket – Mirissa comes out roughly 60% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.
What salary covers living expenses in Mirissa compared to Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $760 per month in Mirissa and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Mirissa and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 13% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Mirissa, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Mirissa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should digital nomads live: Mirissa or Phuket?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mirissa costs $506 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Is Mirissa or Phuket safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Mirissa vs other spots: cost of living compared

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