Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Negombo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Negombo: $396 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Negombo
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Negombo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Negombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$396

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $396 in Negombo versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Negombo $396
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in Negombo versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Negombo $639
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $883 in Negombo versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Negombo $883
Phuket $3,154

Living in Negombo costs roughly 69% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Negombo 71% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,245

$4.47 ฿151

-16.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.39 LKR 5,451

$32.41 ฿1,093

-49.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 LKR 2,462

$8.81 ฿297

-16.00%

Cappuccino

$1.28 LKR 427

$2.83 ฿95.4

-54.77%

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

$0.73 LKR 242

$0.87 ฿29.41

-16.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.0

$0.49 ฿16.65

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 LKR 736

$2.56 ฿86.3

-13.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 LKR 1,012

$3.68 ฿124

-17.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 520

$1.66 ฿55.9

-6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 LKR 187

$1.46 ฿49.31

-61.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 251

$1.50 ฿50.5

-50.00%

Eggs

$1.63 LKR 543

$2.09 ฿70.5

-22.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.51 LKR 4,494

$19.07 ฿643

-29.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 LKR 1,442

$3.30 ฿111

31.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.09 LKR 2,026

$10.91 ฿368

-44.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 LKR 590

$2.93 ฿98.9

-39.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 LKR 224

$1.69 ฿57.0

-60.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 LKR 766

$2.25 ฿75.8

2.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 LKR 385

$2.08 ฿70.0

-44.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 264

$1.51 ฿51.0

-47.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 277

$1.38 ฿46.52

-39.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 LKR 316

$1.07 ฿35.96

-11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 152

$0.52 ฿17.51

-11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.19 LKR 3,390

$4.20 ฿142

142.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.06 LKR 4,343

$18.79 ฿634

-30.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 LKR 650

$1.82 ฿61.5

7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 LKR 972

$2.84 ฿95.8

2.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 LKR 104

$1.45 ฿48.98

-78.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$3.02 ฿102

-87.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$1.02 ฿34.33

-65.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 LKR 298

$3.69 ฿125

-75.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 LKR 339

$1.47 ฿49.76

-30.61%

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

$43.3K LKR 14.4M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

61.74%

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

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

49.32%

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

$25.79 LKR 8,576

$96.4 ฿3,251

-73.23%

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

$4.22 LKR 1,403

$11.26 ฿380

-62.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.43 LKR 6,795

$16.85 ฿568

21.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.34 LKR 5,100

$67.2 ฿2,268

-77.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.00 LKR 2,994

$10.73 ฿362

-16.12%

Cinema Ticket

$2.46 LKR 817

$7.50 ฿253

-67.20%

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

$37.18 LKR 12.4K

$476 ฿16.1K

-92.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$458 LKR 152.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-95.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.13 LKR 3,037

$62.4 ฿2,104

-85.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.32 LKR 5,427

$28.41 ฿958

-42.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.70 LKR 11.9K

$94.3 ฿3,181

-62.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.49 LKR 8,143

$85.8 ฿2,895

-71.46%

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 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$178 LKR 59.1K

$502 ฿16.9K

-64.59%

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 Negombo: 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

Negombo

$194 49.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 37% $72

Eating Out

Negombo

$89 22.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 37.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Negombo

$50 12.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 147% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Negombo

$39 9.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 216% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Negombo

$20 5.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 306% $62

Getting Around

Negombo

$3.4 * 0.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 2007% $67

Accommodation & Living

Negombo

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Phuket pays about 2.8 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $16 in Negombo vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $266 per month, with Negombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Negombo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Negombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,449

79,308

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Negombo Phuket 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Negombo
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

Negombo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Negombo wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Negombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Negombo. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $37 in Negombo versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Negombo – a meal for two runs $16 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $396 in Negombo versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Negombo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Negombo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Negombo and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Negombo wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.