Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gampaha

For one person, living is cheaper in Gampaha: $453 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Gampaha
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Gampaha Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Gampaha

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gampaha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $453 in Gampaha.

Phuket $1,208
Gampaha $453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $768 in Gampaha.

Phuket $2,027
Gampaha $768

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,083 in Gampaha.

Phuket $2,845
Gampaha $1,083

Living in Phuket is roughly 167% more expensive than in Gampaha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Gampaha 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$1.84 LKR 609

139.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$18.22 LKR 6,034

77.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.20 LKR 1,721

68.46%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.24 LKR 410

128.23%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.53 LKR 176

69.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.25 LKR 82.1

88.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.12 LKR 701

20.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.05 LKR 1,010

25.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.63 LKR 539

6.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.41 LKR 135

258.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.73 LKR 241

106.85%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.65 LKR 548

31.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$13.91 LKR 4,607

41.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.03 LKR 1,334

-17.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.43 LKR 2,460

50.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$5.95 LKR 1,972

-52.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.82 LKR 270

107.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$4.51 LKR 1,493

-51.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.32 LKR 436

55.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.95 LKR 314

52.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.84 LKR 277

64.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.29 LKR 94.8

268.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.34 LKR 114

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$9.88 LKR 3,273

-56.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$13.04 LKR 4,319

42.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.35 LKR 447

31.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.44 LKR 808

16.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.29 LKR 95.2

679.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.29 LKR 95.0

937.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.36 LKR 120

194.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$0.89 LKR 295

333.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.17 LKR 388

23.93%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$30.6K LKR 10.1M

-13.83%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$39.9K LKR 13.2M

-32.49%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$27.15 LKR 8,994

254.99%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$2.99 LKR 991

269.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$10.85 LKR 3,592

57.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$7.73 LKR 2,561

575.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$4.55 LKR 1,508

71.65%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$14.93 LKR 4,944

3623.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$121 LKR 40.1K

9471.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$18.28 LKR 6,054

251.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$9.02 LKR 2,987

218.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$59.9 LKR 19.8K

59.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$23.95 LKR 7,933

267.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$90.2 LKR 29.9K

717.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$56.4 LKR 18.7K

719.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$302 LKR 100.2K

592.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$163 LKR 54.0K

636.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$231 LKR 76.4K

117.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-44.30%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Gampaha: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Gampaha

$56 12.5% 87.8% $406

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Gampaha

$221 48.7% 17.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Gampaha

$41 9% 67.1% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Gampaha

$50 11% 59.8% $74

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Gampaha

$65 14.3% 46.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Gampaha

$17 3.7% 75.2% $51

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Gampaha

$3.2 * 0.7% 91.8% $36

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 $737 in Phuket and $90.2 in Gampaha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 117% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $18.00 in Gampaha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $221 per month, with Gampaha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Gampaha

🕒 Local time

19:30 7:30 PM

18:00 6:00 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

20,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Gampaha 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Gampaha

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 Gampaha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Gampaha differ by about 167% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $453 including rent). Gampaha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 117% 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: $737 in Phuket versus $90.2 in Gampaha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $14.93 in Gampaha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gampaha – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $453 in Gampaha versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gampaha but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Gampaha 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Gampaha are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Gampaha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 167% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.