Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kandana

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandana: $509 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
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Phuket Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kandana
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Kandana Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Kandana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kandana

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $509 in Kandana, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Kandana $509

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $827 in Kandana, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Kandana $827

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,145 in Kandana, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Kandana $1,145

Phuket costs about 154% more than Kandana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Kandana are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Kandana 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.76 LKR 1,252

16.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$25.18 LKR 8,377

28.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$7.45 LKR 2,477

16.78%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$2.43 LKR 808

11.93%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.72 LKR 238

29.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.27 LKR 90.6

85.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.18 LKR 726

16.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.08 LKR 1,025

17.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.58 LKR 526

10.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$0.54 LKR 178

168.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.75 LKR 248

100.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.65 LKR 549

31.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$15.19 LKR 5,051

25.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.88 LKR 1,622

-30.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.76 LKR 2,581

40.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$6.73 LKR 2,238

-56.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.82 LKR 273

106.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$4.11 LKR 1,368

-46.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.28 LKR 426

65.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.03 LKR 343

41.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$0.82 LKR 271

67.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.24 LKR 413

-12.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.46 LKR 152

19.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$10.16 LKR 3,378

-56.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$13.42 LKR 4,464

35.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.87 LKR 623

-5.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.97 LKR 988

-3.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.38 LKR 126

297.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.33 LKR 111

136.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$0.86 LKR 288

346.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.37 LKR 457

8.76%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

-39.15%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

-42.12%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$57.5 LKR 19.1K

70.25%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$4.30 LKR 1,430

162.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$20.55 LKR 6,835

-16.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.45 LKR 1,480

66.97%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$40.32 LKR 13.4K

1215.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

9.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$18.24 LKR 6,065

238.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$17.49 LKR 5,817

61.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$79.9 LKR 26.6K

20.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$40.94 LKR 13.6K

112.04%

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

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 Kandana: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Kandana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Kandana

$243 47.7% 9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Kandana

$82 16.2% 34.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Kandana

$70 13.8% 42.6% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Kandana

$103 20.2% 14.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Kandana

$8.9 * 1.8% 89.3% $74

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Kandana

$2.1 * 0.4% 96.9% $64

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 Kandana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $243 – making Kandana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Kandana

🕒 Local time

19:38 7:38 PM

18:08 6:08 PM

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 = 2.97 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kandana 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kandana

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 Kandana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 154%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $764 in Kandana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $509 in Kandana. That makes Kandana about 61% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $40 in Kandana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kandana, where all-in costs run around $509, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Kandana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kandana costs $509 versus $1,294 in Phuket. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.