Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kegalle

For one person, living is cheaper in Kegalle: $591 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Kegalle
Learn more

Kegalle Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kegalle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$591

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kegalle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $591 in Kegalle.

Phuket $1,278
Kegalle $591

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $860 in Kegalle.

Phuket $2,216
Kegalle $860

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,128 in Kegalle.

Phuket $3,154
Kegalle $1,128

Living in Phuket is roughly 116% more expensive than in Kegalle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kegalle 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.06 LKR 1,018

46.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$23.93 LKR 7,954

35.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.33 LKR 2,436

20.19%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.43 LKR 808

16.46%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.43 LKR 143

102.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.25 LKR 83.1

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.14 LKR 711

19.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.95 LKR 982

24.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.65 LKR 548

0.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.47 LKR 156

210.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.68 LKR 225

120.59%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.58 LKR 526

32.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.59 LKR 4,519

40.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.93 LKR 1,638

-33.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.22 LKR 2,400

51.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$5.98 LKR 1,989

-51.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.80 LKR 267

111.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.45 LKR 1,481

-49.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.23 LKR 407

69.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.87 LKR 291

73.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.78 LKR 261

76.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.37 LKR 124

189.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.43 LKR 141

20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.67 LKR 3,214

-56.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.60 LKR 4,189

49.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.90 LKR 633

-4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.65 LKR 881

7.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.57 LKR 190

154.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$7.63 LKR 2,537

642.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.38 LKR 125

694.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.34 LKR 114

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$0.94 LKR 313

292.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.38 LKR 458

6.52%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$43.0K LKR 14.3M

-37.74%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$36.3K LKR 12.1M

-26.39%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$58.6 LKR 19.5K

64.36%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.27 LKR 1,419

163.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$20.67 LKR 6,871

-18.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$19.65 LKR 6,532

242.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.79 LKR 4,916

-27.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.52 LKR 1,504

65.93%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$37.83 LKR 12.6K

1158.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$1,216 LKR 404.4K

825.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$17.90 LKR 5,950

248.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$15.22 LKR 5,060

86.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$45.67 LKR 15.2K

106.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$41.22 LKR 13.7K

108.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$121 LKR 40.2K

491.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$90.8 LKR 30.2K

440.47%

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

$184 LKR 61.1K

173.39%

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 Kegalle: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kegalle

$91 15.4% 81.5% $400

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kegalle

$227 38.4% 14.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kegalle

$84 14.1% 32.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kegalle

$54 9.1% 55.7% $68

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kegalle

$95 16.1% 22% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kegalle

$29 4.9% 65.1% $54

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kegalle

$12 2% 83% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $121 in Kegalle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $24 in Kegalle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $227 per month, with Kegalle cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Kegalle

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

04:27 4:27 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

17,900

💱 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 Kegalle 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kegalle

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 Kegalle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kegalle wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kegalle the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.7 times higher, 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 $121 in Kegalle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kegalle – a meal for two runs $24 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $591 in Kegalle – Kegalle is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $591 in Kegalle versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Kegalle but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kegalle 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.

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

Expats usually find Kegalle gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.