Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bandarawela

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandarawela: $496 a month against $1,278 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 Bandarawela
Learn more

Bandarawela Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bandarawela

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bandarawela

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $496 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Bandarawela $496

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $793 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Bandarawela $793

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,091 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Bandarawela $1,091

Phuket costs about 158% more than Bandarawela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Bandarawela are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Bandarawela 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.40 LKR 465

219.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$24.56 LKR 8,164

31.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.77 LKR 2,585

13.38%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.53 LKR 507

84.97%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.63 LKR 208

38.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.27 LKR 90.3

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.22 LKR 739

15.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.40 LKR 797

53.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.64 LKR 547

1.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.34 LKR 114

329.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.62 LKR 205

141.94%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.08 LKR 357

93.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.51 LKR 4,492

41.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.70 LKR 1,231

-10.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.57 LKR 2,516

44.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$6.74 LKR 2,240

-56.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.59 LKR 196

186.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.51 LKR 1,500

-50.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.28 LKR 426

62.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.94 LKR 312

60.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.52 LKR 172

165.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.95 LKR 316

12.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.45 LKR 150

15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.60 LKR 3,192

-56.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.90 LKR 4,289

45.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.95 LKR 649

-6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.91 LKR 968

-2.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.14 LKR 46.52

935.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$1.55 LKR 516

3555.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.38 LKR 126

694.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.29 LKR 95.7

251.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$0.47 LKR 155

685.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.99 LKR 328

48.48%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$43.5K LKR 14.5M

-38.47%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$40.3K LKR 13.4M

-33.71%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$59.9 LKR 19.9K

60.77%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$3.29 LKR 1,094

242.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$5.92 LKR 1,968

184.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$6.21 LKR 2,064

982.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$4.51 LKR 1,499

137.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.47 LKR 821

203.64%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$37.24 LKR 12.4K

1178.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$1,204 LKR 400.2K

835.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$18.29 LKR 6,081

240.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$16.75 LKR 5,568

69.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$78.3 LKR 26.0K

20.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$41.03 LKR 13.6K

109.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$91.8 LKR 30.5K

679.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$45.15 LKR 15.0K

987.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$119 LKR 39.7K

1513.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$61.5 LKR 20.5K

2225.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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 26, 2026

Last update for Bandarawela: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bandarawela

$45 9.1% 90.8% $446

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bandarawela

$225 45.3% 15.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bandarawela

$69 14% 44.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bandarawela

$69 14% 43% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bandarawela

$72 14.6% 40.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bandarawela

$11 2.3% 86.4% $71

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bandarawela

$3.9 0.8% 94.4% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $92 in Bandarawela. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $25 in Bandarawela. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $225 – making Bandarawela the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Bandarawela

🕒 Local time

05:17 5:17 AM

03:47 3:47 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bandarawela 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bandarawela

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 Bandarawela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $496 in Bandarawela – Bandarawela comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $744 in Bandarawela. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bandarawela, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $92 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $37 in Bandarawela. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bandarawela, where all-in costs run around $496, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Bandarawela it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bandarawela – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Bandarawela is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 61% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.