Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dambulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Dambulla: $505 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Dambulla
Learn more

Dambulla Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Dambulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dambulla

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $505 in Dambulla, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Dambulla $505

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $818 in Dambulla, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Dambulla $818

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,131 in Dambulla, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Dambulla $1,131

Phuket costs about 153% more than Dambulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Dambulla are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Dambulla 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.85 LKR 1,281

16.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$25.00 LKR 8,311

29.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.66 LKR 2,546

15.01%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.47 LKR 821

14.57%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.67 LKR 224

29.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.27 LKR 89.9

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.27 LKR 753

12.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.93 LKR 975

25.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.63 LKR 543

1.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.56 LKR 188

160.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.77 LKR 254

94.81%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.63 LKR 542

28.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.55 LKR 4,504

40.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.92 LKR 1,635

-32.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.30 LKR 2,428

49.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$6.47 LKR 2,152

-54.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.87 LKR 289

94.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.33 LKR 1,441

-48.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.32 LKR 440

57.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.01 LKR 336

49.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.79 LKR 262

74.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.87 LKR 289

22.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.43 LKR 142

20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.35 LKR 3,440

-59.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.67 LKR 4,214

48.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.89 LKR 627

-3.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.93 LKR 974

-3.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.07 LKR 23.76

1971.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.38 LKR 126

694.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.38 LKR 125

168.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$0.87 LKR 289

324.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.37 LKR 456

7.30%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

-38.78%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

-34.85%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$59.8 LKR 19.9K

61.23%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.30 LKR 1,431

161.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$20.98 LKR 6,976

-19.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.57 LKR 1,520

64.11%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$37.27 LKR 12.4K

1176.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$1,199 LKR 398.5K

839.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$18.35 LKR 6,102

239.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$16.43 LKR 5,462

72.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$78.1 LKR 26.0K

20.76%

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

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

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 Dambulla: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Dambulla

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Dambulla

$234 46.4% 12.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Dambulla

$85 16.9% 31.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dambulla

$69 13.7% 43.2% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dambulla

$104 20.7% 14.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Dambulla

$9.2 * 1.8% 88.9% $73

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Dambulla

$2.5 * 0.5% 96.4% $68

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 in Phuket versus $25 in Dambulla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $234 – making Dambulla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Dambulla

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

02:35 2:35 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

68,800

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Dambulla 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dambulla

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 Dambulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $505 in Dambulla – Dambulla 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 $757 in Dambulla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $25 in Dambulla. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Dambulla, where all-in costs run around $505, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Dambulla 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 $505 in Dambulla to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.