Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuwara Eliya and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuwara Eliya and Phuket

🙂 Solo nomad: Nuwara Eliya is 34.2% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 57.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Nuwara Eliya is 23.3% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 64.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nuwara Eliya
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.97 LKR 1,234
$4.65 ฿148
-14.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.90 LKR 7,737
$46.11 ฿1,470
-46.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.58 LKR 2,667
$8.74 ฿279
-1.83%
Cappuccino
$2.65 LKR 822
$3.04 ฿96.9
-12.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 LKR 214
$0.72 ฿22.96
-4.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 LKR 117
$0.39 ฿12.47
-2.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 LKR 733
$2.44 ฿77.8
-3.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 LKR 1,019
$3.79 ฿121
-13.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nuwara Eliya
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 LKR 549
$2.14 ฿68.4
-17.29%
White Bread (500g)
$0.51 LKR 160
$1.86 ฿59.3
-72.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.82 LKR 255
$2.19 ฿69.7
-62.56%
Eggs
$2.15 LKR 668
$2.25 ฿71.6
-4.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.01 LKR 4,353
$19.73 ฿629
-28.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.65 LKR 1,446
$3.79 ฿121
22.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.18 LKR 2,540
$13.55 ฿432
-39.63%
Apples (1kg)
$7.53 LKR 2,339
$3.25 ฿104
131.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.10 LKR 343
$1.67 ฿53.3
-34.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.95 LKR 1,849
$2.39 ฿76.3
148.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.25 LKR 388
$2.09 ฿66.7
-40.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.10 LKR 343
$1.53 ฿48.74
-28.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.41 LKR 438
$1.51 ฿48.13
-6.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.16 LKR 360
$0.99 ฿31.53
17.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 LKR 184
$0.51 ฿16.41
15.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.97 LKR 3,097
$4.27 ฿136
133.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.94 LKR 4,021
$20.31 ฿647
-36.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.02 LKR 628
$1.79 ฿57.1
12.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.93 LKR 911
$2.77 ฿88.2
5.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Nuwara Eliya
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.40 ฿44.77
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$11.70 ฿373
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.38 LKR 119
$3.11 ฿99.1
-87.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 LKR 109
$0.99 ฿31.71
-64.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.61 LKR 191
$13.73 ฿438
-95.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 LKR 373
$1.32 ฿42.05
-9.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K LKR 8.3M
$27.2K ฿868.3K
-1.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.8K LKR 10.8M
$34.1K ฿1.1M
1.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nuwara Eliya
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.1 LKR 19.0K
$120 ฿3,838
-49.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.26 LKR 1,324
$13.93 ฿444
-69.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.06 LKR 4,681
$18.31 ฿584
-17.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nuwara Eliya
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$60.9 ฿1,942
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.23 ฿549
-
Cinema Ticket
$3.42 LKR 1,063
$8.71 ฿278
-60.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nuwara Eliya
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$36.70 LKR 11.4K
$698 ฿22.2K
-94.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$439 LKR 136.3K
$15.7K ฿501.6K
-97.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nuwara Eliya
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.04 LKR 8,714
$57.6 ฿1,838
-51.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.30 LKR 5,997
$34.24 ฿1,092
-43.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.8 LKR 22.0K
$113 ฿3,608
-37.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$38.07 LKR 11.8K
$84.8 ฿2,704
-55.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nuwara Eliya
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$604 ฿19.3K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$436 ฿13.9K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,057 ฿65.6K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,498 ฿47.8K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,252 ฿135.6K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,988 ฿95.3K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nuwara Eliya
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$529 ฿16.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.45
5.33
208.63%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Nuwara Eliya: March 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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