Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kolonnawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolonnawa: $488 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Kolonnawa
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Kolonnawa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kolonnawa

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $488 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Kolonnawa $488

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $794 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Kolonnawa $794

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,100 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Kolonnawa $1,100

Phuket costs about 162% more than Kolonnawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Kolonnawa are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Kolonnawa 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.87 LKR 1,285

15.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$25.33 LKR 8,422

27.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.38 LKR 2,453

19.38%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.45 LKR 816

15.51%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.71 LKR 236

22.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.25 LKR 82.6

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.16 LKR 718

18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.06 LKR 1,018

20.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.56 LKR 519

6.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.53 LKR 178

175.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.58 LKR 192

158.62%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.66 LKR 551

25.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.53 LKR 3,502

81.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.63 LKR 1,539

-28.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.32 LKR 2,433

49.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$6.75 LKR 2,243

-56.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.85 LKR 281

98.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.43 LKR 1,472

-49.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.32 LKR 439

57.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.04 LKR 347

45.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.77 LKR 255

79.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.93 LKR 308

15.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.43 LKR 142

20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.34 LKR 3,436

-59.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.50 LKR 3,489

78.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.77 LKR 588

2.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.22 LKR 738

27.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.16 LKR 53.2

806.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.40 LKR 134

655.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.35 LKR 116

191.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$0.93 LKR 308

296.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.33 LKR 442

10.53%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$43.9K LKR 14.6M

-38.94%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$41.1K LKR 13.7M

-35.08%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$59.6 LKR 19.8K

61.72%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.20 LKR 1,397

168.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$20.66 LKR 6,870

-18.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.65 LKR 1,546

61.29%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$37.35 LKR 12.4K

1174.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$1,188 LKR 394.9K

848.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$18.07 LKR 6,007

245.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$16.73 LKR 5,562

69.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$80.1 LKR 26.6K

17.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$41.69 LKR 13.9K

105.80%

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 Kolonnawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kolonnawa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kolonnawa

$217 44.6% 18.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kolonnawa

$84 17.3% 32.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kolonnawa

$70 14.5% 42.2% $51

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kolonnawa

$103 21.2% 15.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kolonnawa

$9.3 * 1.9% 88.7% $73

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kolonnawa

$2.8 * 0.6% 96% $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 Kolonnawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $217 – making Kolonnawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Kolonnawa

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

04:27 4:27 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

64,800

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kolonnawa 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kolonnawa

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 Kolonnawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 162% more than Kolonnawa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $732 in Kolonnawa. 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 $488 in Kolonnawa. That makes Kolonnawa about 62% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $37 in Kolonnawa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kolonnawa, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Kolonnawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kolonnawa costs $488 versus $1,278 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.