Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bentota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $777 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
Learn more

Bentota Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bentota

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $777 in Bentota.

Phuket $1,294
Bentota $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $896 in Bentota.

Phuket $2,204
Bentota $896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,014 in Bentota.

Phuket $3,115
Bentota $1,014

Living in Phuket is roughly 66% more expensive than in Bentota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Bentota 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$3.78 LKR 1,257

16.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$12.00 LKR 3,992

169.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$7.36 LKR 2,447

18.21%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.47 LKR 822

10.12%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.71 LKR 236

30.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.25 LKR 83.1

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$2.19 LKR 728

15.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.10 LKR 1,031

17.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.57 LKR 523

10.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$0.52 LKR 174

178.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.80 LKR 267

87.50%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.65 LKR 549

31.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$15.18 LKR 5,049

25.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.36 LKR 1,119

1.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$4.47 LKR 1,488

143.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$6.76 LKR 2,247

-56.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$0.76 LKR 254

122.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$4.08 LKR 1,356

-46.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$0.86 LKR 287

146.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.07 LKR 357

36.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$0.82 LKR 274

67.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$1.21 LKR 402

-10.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.42 LKR 139

30.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$10.06 LKR 3,347

-55.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$13.69 LKR 4,554

33.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.90 LKR 631

-6.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.87 LKR 956

0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$0.19 LKR 62.4

663.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.38 LKR 126

297.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.29 LKR 96.3

168.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$0.93 LKR 308

312.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.39 LKR 461

7.19%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$44.0K LKR 14.7M

-38.97%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$45.0K LKR 15.0M

-41.44%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$57.4 LKR 19.1K

70.55%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$2.32 LKR 770

386.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$8.88 LKR 2,952

93.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.59 LKR 1,526

61.87%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$40.65 LKR 13.5K

1204.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

7.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$18.34 LKR 6,102

236.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$17.33 LKR 5,763

63.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

23.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$41.51 LKR 13.8K

109.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$546 LKR 181.7K

32.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$302 LKR 100.4K

68.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

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 Bentota: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Bentota

$302 38.8% 40.7% $207

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Bentota

$223 28.7% 16.5% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Bentota

$69 8.8% 45.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Bentota

$70 9% 43.3% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Bentota

$103 13.2% 13.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Bentota

$9.2 * 1.2% 89% $74

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Bentota

$2.6 * 0.3% 96.1% $63

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 $546 in Bentota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $12 in Bentota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $223 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Bentota

🕒 Local time

16:32 4:32 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

37,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bentota 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bentota

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 Bentota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bentota is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,166 in Bentota to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $546 in Bentota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $777 in Bentota – Bentota is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $777 in Bentota versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota 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.