Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Katunayaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Katunayaka: $506 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 Katunayaka
Learn more

Katunayaka Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Katunayaka

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Katunayaka

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $506 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Katunayaka $506

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $822 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Katunayaka $822

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,138 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Katunayaka $1,138

Phuket costs about 153% more than Katunayaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Katunayaka are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Katunayaka 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.84 LKR 1,278

16.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$25.36 LKR 8,429

27.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.49 LKR 2,491

17.62%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.55 LKR 848

10.98%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.71 LKR 236

22.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.27 LKR 89.9

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.19 LKR 727

16.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.08 LKR 1,023

19.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.64 LKR 544

1.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.57 LKR 190

156.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.76 LKR 254

97.37%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.72 LKR 573

21.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$13.55 LKR 4,503

40.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.89 LKR 1,627

-32.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.46 LKR 2,481

46.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$6.50 LKR 2,162

-54.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.84 LKR 281

101.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$4.40 LKR 1,464

-48.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.29 LKR 428

61.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.99 LKR 329

52.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.76 LKR 253

81.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.95 LKR 316

12.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.45 LKR 151

15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.25 LKR 3,409

-59.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$12.79 LKR 4,251

46.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.91 LKR 636

-4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.95 LKR 979

-3.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.41 LKR 135

636.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.37 LKR 123

175.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$0.93 LKR 310

296.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.40 LKR 464

5.00%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$44.7K LKR 14.8M

-40.05%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$40.9K LKR 13.6M

-34.77%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$58.3 LKR 19.4K

65.21%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.33 LKR 1,441

160.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$21.11 LKR 7,019

-20.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.40 LKR 1,462

70.45%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$38.35 LKR 12.8K

1141.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$1,203 LKR 399.9K

836.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$18.46 LKR 6,138

237.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$16.89 LKR 5,616

68.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

18.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$41.36 LKR 13.7K

107.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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 Katunayaka: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Katunayaka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Katunayaka

$236 46.6% 11.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Katunayaka

$84 16.6% 32.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Katunayaka

$70 13.9% 42.4% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Katunayaka

$105 20.7% 13.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Katunayaka

$8.8 * 1.7% 89.3% $73

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Katunayaka

$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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $25 in Katunayaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $236 – making Katunayaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Katunayaka

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

08:37 8:37 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

84,643

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 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 Katunayaka 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Katunayaka

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 Katunayaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 153%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $759 in Katunayaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $506 in Katunayaka. That makes Katunayaka about 60% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $38 in Katunayaka. 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 Katunayaka, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Katunayaka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $506 in Katunayaka to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.