Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hikkaduwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hikkaduwa: $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
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Phuket Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Hikkaduwa
Learn more

Hikkaduwa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Hikkaduwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hikkaduwa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $505 in Hikkaduwa.

Phuket $1,278
Hikkaduwa $505

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $820 in Hikkaduwa.

Phuket $2,216
Hikkaduwa $820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,134 in Hikkaduwa.

Phuket $3,154
Hikkaduwa $1,134

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Hikkaduwa 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.87 LKR 1,287

15.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$25.21 LKR 8,382

28.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.67 LKR 2,551

14.86%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.48 LKR 825

14.11%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.67 LKR 223

29.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.25 LKR 82.3

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.21 LKR 736

15.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.03 LKR 1,008

21.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.63 LKR 543

1.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.53 LKR 177

175.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.76 LKR 253

97.37%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.64 LKR 544

27.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.51 LKR 4,492

41.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.95 LKR 1,647

-33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.25 LKR 2,409

50.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$6.58 LKR 2,187

-55.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.86 LKR 287

96.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.50 LKR 1,496

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.27 LKR 423

63.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.00 LKR 334

51.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.79 LKR 263

74.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.87 LKR 289

22.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.46 LKR 152

13.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.16 LKR 3,377

-58.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.67 LKR 4,211

48.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.88 LKR 624

-3.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.06 LKR 1,018

-7.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.37 LKR 124

716.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.38 LKR 125

168.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$0.96 LKR 318

284.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.39 LKR 463

5.76%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$44.4K LKR 14.7M

-39.64%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-33.43%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$58.5 LKR 19.5K

64.59%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.30 LKR 1,428

161.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$20.97 LKR 6,972

-19.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.58 LKR 1,524

63.76%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$37.54 LKR 12.5K

1167.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$1,195 LKR 397.4K

842.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$17.81 LKR 5,923

250.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$16.65 LKR 5,534

70.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

18.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$41.17 LKR 13.7K

108.40%

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 Hikkaduwa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Hikkaduwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Hikkaduwa

$235 46.6% 11.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Hikkaduwa

$84 16.6% 32.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hikkaduwa

$70 13.8% 42.8% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hikkaduwa

$105 20.7% 14.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Hikkaduwa

$9.2 * 1.8% 88.8% $73

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Hikkaduwa

$2.3 * 0.5% 96.8% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Hikkaduwa

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

05:16 5:16 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

101,342

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Hikkaduwa 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hikkaduwa

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 Hikkaduwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hikkaduwa is about 61% 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 $1,917 in Phuket and $757 in Hikkaduwa 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.

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

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $505 in Hikkaduwa – Hikkaduwa is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $505 in Hikkaduwa versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hikkaduwa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Hikkaduwa 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.