Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Badulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Badulla: $547 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Badulla
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Badulla Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Badulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Badulla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $547 in Badulla.

Phuket $1,294
Badulla $547

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $883 in Badulla.

Phuket $2,204
Badulla $883

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,219 in Badulla.

Phuket $3,115
Badulla $1,219

Living in Phuket is roughly 137% more expensive than in Badulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Badulla 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$3.84 LKR 1,276

14.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$24.93 LKR 8,291

29.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$7.54 LKR 2,507

15.38%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.47 LKR 823

10.12%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.68 LKR 227

36.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.27 LKR 90.6

85.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$2.26 LKR 752

11.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.02 LKR 1,006

20.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.62 LKR 539

7.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$0.57 LKR 190

154.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.61 LKR 203

145.90%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.65 LKR 548

31.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$15.15 LKR 5,038

26.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.70 LKR 1,230

-8.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.60 LKR 2,528

43.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$6.61 LKR 2,198

-55.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$0.89 LKR 296

89.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$4.27 LKR 1,421

-48.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.26 LKR 420

68.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.09 LKR 362

33.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$0.79 LKR 261

73.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$1.22 LKR 405

-11.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.46 LKR 152

19.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$10.15 LKR 3,375

-56.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$13.31 LKR 4,428

37.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.91 LKR 634

-7.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.85 LKR 947

1.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.41 LKR 136

268.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.33 LKR 111

136.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$0.87 LKR 288

341.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.37 LKR 454

8.76%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

-37.21%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$46.1K LKR 15.3M

-42.85%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$56.2 LKR 18.7K

73.92%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$4.32 LKR 1,437

161.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$20.66 LKR 6,873

-16.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.39 LKR 1,461

69.25%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$40.51 LKR 13.5K

1209.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

7.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$18.24 LKR 6,068

238.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$17.37 LKR 5,779

62.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

23.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$41.18 LKR 13.7K

110.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$76.3 LKR 25.4K

844.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$44.38 LKR 14.8K

1046.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$89.8 LKR 29.9K

1454.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$4,570 LKR 1.5M

-8.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$747 LKR 248.4K

341.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$222 LKR 73.7K

121.94%

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 Badulla: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Badulla

$44 8.1% 91.3% $464

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Badulla

$237 43.3% 11.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Badulla

$81 14.9% 35.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Badulla

$69 12.7% 43.4% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Badulla

$104 19.1% 12.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Badulla

$8.8 * 1.6% 89.4% $74

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Badulla

$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

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $76 in Badulla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.2 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: $32 in Phuket vs $25 in Badulla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $237 per month, with Badulla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Badulla

🕒 Local time

14:40 2:40 PM

13:10 1:10 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 = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Badulla 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Badulla

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 Badulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Badulla is about 58% 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 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $76 in Badulla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Badulla – 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 $547 in Badulla versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Badulla but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Badulla 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, Phuket and Badulla are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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