Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Amparai

For one person, living is cheaper in Amparai: $512 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Amparai
Learn more

Amparai Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Amparai

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$512

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Amparai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Amparai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $512 in Amparai.

Phuket $1,294
Amparai $512

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $831 in Amparai.

Phuket $2,204
Amparai $831

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,150 in Amparai.

Phuket $3,115
Amparai $1,150

Living in Phuket is roughly 153% more expensive than in Amparai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Amparai 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.87 LKR 1,289

13.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$25.06 LKR 8,334

28.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$7.68 LKR 2,555

13.28%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.55 LKR 849

6.67%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$0.69 LKR 228

34.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.27 LKR 90.1

85.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.18 LKR 724

16.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.06 LKR 1,017

18.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.57 LKR 523

10.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.53 LKR 177

173.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.75 LKR 249

100.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.69 LKR 561

28.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$15.22 LKR 5,061

25.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$4.92 LKR 1,636

-30.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$7.64 LKR 2,543

42.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$6.60 LKR 2,196

-55.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.81 LKR 271

108.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$4.32 LKR 1,438

-49.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.27 LKR 421

66.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.08 LKR 359

35.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$0.81 LKR 271

69.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$1.22 LKR 405

-11.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.46 LKR 153

19.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$10.33 LKR 3,436

-57.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$13.30 LKR 4,424

37.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.93 LKR 643

-8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.86 LKR 950

0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.38 LKR 126

297.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.34 LKR 112

129.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$0.93 LKR 308

312.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.33 LKR 441

12.03%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$43.1K LKR 14.3M

-37.64%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$44.7K LKR 14.9M

-41.12%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$57.6 LKR 19.2K

69.78%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$4.33 LKR 1,439

160.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$20.89 LKR 6,948

-17.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$4.59 LKR 1,526

61.87%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$40.68 LKR 13.5K

1203.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

10.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$18.39 LKR 6,117

235.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$17.14 LKR 5,701

64.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$78.6 LKR 26.1K

22.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$41.35 LKR 13.8K

109.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$89.7 LKR 29.8K

447.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.5

-55.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Amparai: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Amparai

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Amparai

$243 47.4% 9.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Amparai

$83 16.2% 34.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Amparai

$70 13.7% 43% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Amparai

$106 20.6% 11.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Amparai

$9.2 * 1.8% 89% $74

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Amparai

$2.1 * 0.4% 96.9% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

Phuket pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $25 in Amparai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $243 per month, with Amparai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Amparai

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

14:34 2:34 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

110,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Amparai 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Amparai

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

Phuket vs Amparai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amparai is about 60% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 5.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $41 in Amparai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Amparai – a meal for two runs $25 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $512 in Amparai versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Amparai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Amparai 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.

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