Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kandy

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
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Kandy Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kandy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $513 in Kandy.

Phuket $1,278
Kandy $513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $728 in Kandy.

Phuket $2,216
Kandy $728

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $943 in Kandy.

Phuket $3,154
Kandy $943

Living in Phuket is roughly 149% more expensive than in Kandy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kandy 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.66 LKR 885

68.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$13.01 LKR 4,324

149.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.00 LKR 1,996

46.83%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.90 LKR 632

48.95%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.52 LKR 174

67.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.26 LKR 87.1

88.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.86 LKR 620

37.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.80 LKR 931

31.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.15 LKR 382

44.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.52 LKR 174

180.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.77 LKR 255

94.81%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.71 LKR 568

22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$5.14 LKR 1,708

271.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.25 LKR 1,412

-22.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.87 LKR 2,285

58.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.14 LKR 1,043

-6.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.84 LKR 280

101.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.73 LKR 574

30.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.29 LKR 429

61.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.02 LKR 339

48.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.83 LKR 277

66.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.43 LKR 144

148.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.42 LKR 140

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$8.02 LKR 2,668

-47.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.28 LKR 3,751

66.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.93 LKR 643

-5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.08 LKR 691

36.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.16 LKR 53.3

806.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$4.38 LKR 1,457

1193.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.41 LKR 136

636.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.35 LKR 116

191.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$0.47 LKR 156

685.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.15 LKR 383

27.83%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

91.60%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

-27.36%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

63.28%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$3.86 LKR 1,282

191.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$12.72 LKR 4,227

32.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$10.85 LKR 3,606

519.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.80 LKR 2,262

57.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.74 LKR 909

173.72%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$21.65 LKR 7,199

2098.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$304 LKR 101.0K

3608.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$18.28 LKR 6,078

241.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$10.15 LKR 3,375

179.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

39.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$26.56 LKR 8,831

223.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$172 LKR 57.2K

316.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$113 LKR 37.5K

334.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$172 LKR 57.2K

1019.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

1428.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$397 LKR 131.9K

952.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$400 LKR 133.0K

660.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$262 LKR 86.9K

92.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-53.58%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kandy: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kandy

$113 22% 77% $378

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kandy

$166 32.3% 37.7% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kandy

$76 14.7% 39.3% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kandy

$55 10.8% 54.7% $67

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kandy

$80 15.6% 34.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kandy

$16 3.2% 80.2% $66

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kandy

$7.2 1.4% 89.8% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $172 in Kandy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 92% 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 $13 in Kandy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $166 per month, with Kandy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Kandy

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

02:48 2:48 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

125,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Kandy 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kandy

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 Kandy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kandy is about 60% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 92% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $172 in Kandy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $513 in Kandy – Kandy is about 60% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Kandy runs roughly 92% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $513 in Kandy versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kandy but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kandy the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kandy is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Kandy are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Kandy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.