Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Anuradhapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Anuradhapura: $506 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
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Anuradhapura Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Anuradhapura

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 Anuradhapura actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $506 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Anuradhapura $506

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $820 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Anuradhapura $820

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,134 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Anuradhapura $1,134

Phuket costs about 139% more than Anuradhapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Anuradhapura are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Anuradhapura 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.75 LKR 1,242

17.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$24.57 LKR 8,139

31.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.52 LKR 2,490

16.49%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.44 LKR 810

15.98%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.68 LKR 227

32.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.27 LKR 89.9

74.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.23 LKR 738

14.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.99 LKR 990

28.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.61 LKR 534

7.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.57 LKR 189

157.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.81 LKR 269

86.42%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.63 LKR 541

33.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$13.86 LKR 4,590

42.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.92 LKR 1,630

-32.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.26 LKR 2,405

53.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$6.67 LKR 2,208

-57.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.86 LKR 286

97.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$4.46 LKR 1,476

-50.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.26 LKR 418

62.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.00 LKR 330

45.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.83 LKR 274

66.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.93 LKR 308

15.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.43 LKR 142

18.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$10.39 LKR 3,441

-59.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$13.07 LKR 4,330

42.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.96 LKR 648

-9.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.90 LKR 961

-1.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.40 LKR 134

652.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.37 LKR 123

186.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$0.88 LKR 292

338.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.34 LKR 443

8.21%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$43.5K LKR 14.4M

-39.49%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-32.77%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$58.5 LKR 19.4K

64.86%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$4.23 LKR 1,401

160.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$21.09 LKR 6,984

-18.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$4.41 LKR 1,460

77.10%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$38.06 LKR 12.6K

1360.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$1,224 LKR 405.4K

846.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$18.46 LKR 6,115

247.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$16.65 LKR 5,515

72.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$80.4 LKR 26.6K

18.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$41.98 LKR 13.9K

109.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.69

-56.11%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Anuradhapura

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Anuradhapura

$237 46.9% 11.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Anuradhapura

$84 16.6% 32.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Anuradhapura

$71 14% 43% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Anuradhapura

$103 20.3% 15.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Anuradhapura

$8.8 * 1.7% 87% $59

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Anuradhapura

$2.3 * 0.5% 94.3% $37

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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $25.00 in Anuradhapura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $237 – making Anuradhapura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🕒 Local time

20:57 8:57 PM

19:27 7:27 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

63,200

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Anuradhapura 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Anuradhapura

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 Anuradhapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $506 in Anuradhapura – roughly 139% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $759 in Anuradhapura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $25.00 in Anuradhapura. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anuradhapura, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Anuradhapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $506 in Anuradhapura to $1,208 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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