Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $804 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Colombo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $804 in Colombo.

Phuket $1,278
Colombo $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,240 in Colombo.

Phuket $2,216
Colombo $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,675 in Colombo.

Phuket $3,154
Colombo $1,675

Living in Phuket is roughly 59% more expensive than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.74 LKR 1,242

19.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$24.72 LKR 8,214

31.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.60 LKR 2,527

15.92%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.45 LKR 814

15.51%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.68 LKR 226

27.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.27 LKR 89.8

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

$3.07 LKR 1,019

19.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.57 LKR 520

5.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.54 LKR 178

170.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.80 LKR 266

87.50%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.71 LKR 567

22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.92 LKR 4,625

37.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.78 LKR 1,590

-30.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.46 LKR 2,480

46.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$6.40 LKR 2,126

-54.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.85 LKR 283

98.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.26 LKR 1,416

-47.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.33 LKR 443

56.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.00 LKR 334

51.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.81 LKR 270

70.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.93 LKR 308

15.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.45 LKR 151

15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.33 LKR 3,434

-59.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.87 LKR 4,277

46.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.93 LKR 642

-5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.00 LKR 999

-5.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.18 LKR 59.3

705.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$5.96 LKR 1,982

850.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.40 LKR 134

655.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.35 LKR 116

191.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$0.94 LKR 312

292.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.32 LKR 438

11.36%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-38.32%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

-32.74%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

63.72%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.20 LKR 1,396

168.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$20.61 LKR 6,851

-18.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$19.88 LKR 6,609

238.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.81 LKR 1,932

84.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.42 LKR 1,468

69.68%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

1148.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$1,214 LKR 403.4K

828.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$17.77 LKR 5,905

250.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$16.62 LKR 5,523

70.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$77.8 LKR 25.8K

21.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

103.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$586 LKR 194.7K

22.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$275 LKR 91.4K

78.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,677 LKR 557.4K

14.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$490 LKR 162.9K

191.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

14.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,158 LKR 384.9K

162.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$259 LKR 86.0K

94.20%

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 Colombo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Colombo

$275 34.2% 44% $216

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Colombo

$235 29.2% 11.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 32.8% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 43% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Colombo

$103 12.8% 15.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Colombo

$29 3.6% 65.1% $54

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Colombo

$8.8 1.1% 87.5% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $586 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 94% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $235 per month, with Colombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

16:33 4:33 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

753,000

💱 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 = 37.58 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Colombo 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Colombo

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 Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Colombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 94% higher in Phuket, 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: $716 in Phuket versus $586 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Colombo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Colombo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Colombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.