Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Negombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Negombo: $396 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Negombo
Learn more

Negombo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Negombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Negombo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $396 in Negombo.

Phuket $1,278
Negombo $396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $639 in Negombo.

Phuket $2,216
Negombo $639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $883 in Negombo.

Phuket $3,154
Negombo $883

Living in Phuket is roughly 223% more expensive than in Negombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Negombo 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.74 LKR 1,245

19.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$16.39 LKR 5,451

97.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.40 LKR 2,462

19.05%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.28 LKR 427

121.09%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.73 LKR 242

19.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.27 LKR 90.0

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.21 LKR 736

15.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.04 LKR 1,012

21.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.56 LKR 520

6.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.56 LKR 187

160.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.75 LKR 251

100.00%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.63 LKR 543

28.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.51 LKR 4,494

41.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.34 LKR 1,442

-23.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.09 LKR 2,026

79.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.78 LKR 590

64.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.67 LKR 224

152.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.30 LKR 766

-2.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.16 LKR 385

79.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.79 LKR 264

91.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.83 LKR 277

66.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.95 LKR 316

12.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.46 LKR 152

13.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.19 LKR 3,390

-58.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.06 LKR 4,343

43.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.95 LKR 650

-6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.92 LKR 972

-2.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.31 LKR 104

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.38 LKR 125

694.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.35 LKR 115

191.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$0.90 LKR 298

310.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.02 LKR 339

44.12%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$43.3K LKR 14.4M

-38.17%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

-33.03%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$25.79 LKR 8,576

273.59%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.22 LKR 1,403

166.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$20.43 LKR 6,795

-17.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$15.34 LKR 5,100

338.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$9.00 LKR 2,994

19.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.46 LKR 817

204.88%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$37.18 LKR 12.4K

1180.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$458 LKR 152.5K

2356.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$9.13 LKR 3,037

583.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$16.32 LKR 5,427

74.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$35.70 LKR 11.9K

164.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$24.49 LKR 8,143

250.35%

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 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$178 LKR 59.1K

182.41%

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 Negombo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Negombo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Negombo

$194 49.1% 27% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Negombo

$50 12.8% 59.5% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Negombo

$39 9.7% 68.4% $83

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Negombo

$89 22.4% 27.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Negombo

$20 5.1% 75.4% $62

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Negombo

$3.4 * 0.9% 95.3% $67

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Phuket pays about 2.8 times 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 $16 in Negombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $194 per month, with Negombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Negombo

🕒 Local time

04:13 4:13 AM

02:43 2:43 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

142,449

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Negombo 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Negombo

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 Negombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Negombo wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Negombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $37 in Negombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Negombo – a meal for two runs $16 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $396 in Negombo versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Negombo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Negombo 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 Negombo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Negombo wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.