Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Horana

For one person, living is cheaper in Horana: $456 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Horana
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Horana Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Horana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Horana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $456 in Horana.

Phuket $1,278
Horana $456

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $735 in Horana.

Phuket $2,216
Horana $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,014 in Horana.

Phuket $3,154
Horana $1,014

Living in Phuket is roughly 180% more expensive than in Horana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Horana 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.84 LKR 611

142.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$24.86 LKR 8,265

30.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.47 LKR 2,484

17.94%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.52 LKR 838

12.30%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.59 LKR 195

47.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.22 LKR 73.3

122.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.25 LKR 747

13.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.07 LKR 1,021

19.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.55 LKR 516

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.43 LKR 143

239.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.61 LKR 204

145.90%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.69 LKR 562

23.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.86 LKR 4,608

37.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.99 LKR 1,327

-17.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.44 LKR 2,472

46.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.37 LKR 787

23.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.34 LKR 115

397.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.26 LKR 1,418

-47.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.34 LKR 445

55.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.65 LKR 216

132.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.69 LKR 230

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.95 LKR 316

12.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.46 LKR 153

13.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.20 LKR 3,389

-58.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.91 LKR 4,292

45.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.88 LKR 625

-3.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.03 LKR 1,008

-6.27%

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

$0.38 LKR 125

694.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.37 LKR 124

175.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$0.94 LKR 313

292.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.32 LKR 437

11.36%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$43.2K LKR 14.3M

-37.96%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

-33.07%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$58.2 LKR 19.4K

65.46%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$3.02 LKR 1,004

272.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$20.80 LKR 6,914

-18.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.55 LKR 1,511

64.84%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$38.12 LKR 12.7K

1148.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$1,188 LKR 395.0K

848.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$17.79 LKR 5,915

250.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$16.33 LKR 5,430

73.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$79.7 LKR 26.5K

18.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$41.70 LKR 13.9K

105.76%

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 Horana: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Horana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Horana

$205 44.9% 23.2% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Horana

$82 18% 34.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Horana

$70 15.4% 42.6% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Horana

$88 19.3% 27.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Horana

$9.1 * 2% 88.9% $73

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Horana

$2.2 * 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 Horana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $205 per month, with Horana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Horana

🕒 Local time

02:58 2:58 AM

01:28 1:28 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

15,000

💱 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 = 37.59 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 Horana 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Horana

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 Horana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Horana is about 64% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $684 in Horana 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.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $38 in Horana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Horana – 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 $456 in Horana versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Horana but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Horana 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.