Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Galle

For one person, living is cheaper in Galle: $510 a month against $1,294 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
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Galle
Learn more

Galle Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Galle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Galle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $510 in Galle.

Phuket $1,294
Galle $510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $829 in Galle.

Phuket $2,204
Galle $829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,148 in Galle.

Phuket $3,115
Galle $1,148

Living in Phuket is roughly 153% more expensive than in Galle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Galle 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.71 LKR 1,233

18.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$25.23 LKR 8,393

28.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$7.43 LKR 2,472

17.09%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$2.55 LKR 847

6.67%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.73 LKR 242

27.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.25 LKR 83.2

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.17 LKR 720

16.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.98 LKR 992

21.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.64 LKR 546

6.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$0.57 LKR 191

154.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.81 LKR 268

85.19%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.64 LKR 547

32.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$15.40 LKR 5,122

23.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.11 LKR 1,701

-33.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.40 LKR 2,462

47.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$6.43 LKR 2,140

-54.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.82 LKR 272

106.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$4.22 LKR 1,404

-48.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.32 LKR 438

60.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.05 LKR 348

39.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$0.81 LKR 271

69.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.25 LKR 416

-13.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.45 LKR 151

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$10.31 LKR 3,428

-57.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$13.53 LKR 4,500

34.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.95 LKR 648

-9.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.85 LKR 948

1.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.16 LKR 52.5

806.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.29 LKR 95.8

420.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.31 LKR 104

151.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$0.87 LKR 290

341.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.33 LKR 441

12.03%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

-37.23%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$45.8K LKR 15.2M

-42.42%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$56.2 LKR 18.7K

74.19%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$4.09 LKR 1,360

176.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$21.08 LKR 7,011

-18.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.64 LKR 1,545

60.13%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$39.64 LKR 13.2K

1238.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

8.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$18.17 LKR 6,042

239.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$17.46 LKR 5,809

61.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$77.7 LKR 25.8K

23.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$42.00 LKR 14.0K

106.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$316 LKR 105.1K

55.56%

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 Galle: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Galle

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Galle

$244 47.8% 8.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Galle

$81 15.9% 35.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Galle

$70 13.7% 43% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Galle

$103 20.2% 13.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Galle

$9.3 * 1.8% 88.8% $74

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Galle

$2.5 * 0.5% 96.2% $64

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Phuket pays 56% 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 Galle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $244 per month, with Galle cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Galle

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

13:23 1:23 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

100,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.78 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 Galle 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Galle

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 Galle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Galle is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $40 in Galle. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Galle – 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 $510 in Galle versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Galle but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Galle the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Galle delivers better value at $510 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Galle hard to pass up.

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