Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nuwara Eliya Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nuwara Eliya

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 52.1% more expensive than Nuwara Eliya without rent, and 137.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 30.3% more expensive than Nuwara Eliya without rent, and 178.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.65 ฿149

$3.97 LKR 1,234

17.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.11 ฿1,474

$24.90 LKR 7,738

85.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 ฿279

$8.58 LKR 2,667

1.86%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ฿97.1

$2.65 LKR 822

14.72%

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

$0.72 ฿23.03

$0.69 LKR 214

4.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿12.50

$0.38 LKR 117

2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿78.0

$2.36 LKR 734

3.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 ฿121

$3.28 LKR 1,019

15.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ฿68.6

$1.77 LKR 549

20.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 ฿59.5

$0.51 LKR 160

264.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ฿69.9

$0.82 LKR 255

167.07%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿71.8

$2.15 LKR 668

4.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.73 ฿631

$14.01 LKR 4,354

40.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.79 ฿121

$4.65 LKR 1,446

-18.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 ฿433

$8.18 LKR 2,541

65.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 ฿104

$7.53 LKR 2,339

-56.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 ฿53.4

$1.10 LKR 343

51.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ฿76.5

$5.95 LKR 1,849

-59.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 ฿66.9

$1.25 LKR 388

67.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿48.88

$1.10 LKR 343

39.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿48.27

$1.41 LKR 438

7.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿31.62

$1.16 LKR 360

-14.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.46

$0.59 LKR 184

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿137

$9.97 LKR 3,097

-57.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.31 ฿649

$12.94 LKR 4,021

56.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿57.3

$2.02 LKR 628

-11.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ฿88.5

$2.93 LKR 911

-5.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿44.89

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿374

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿99.4

$0.38 LKR 119

718.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿31.80

$0.35 LKR 109

182.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.73 ฿439

$0.61 LKR 191

2150.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ฿42.17

$1.20 LKR 373

10.00%

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

$27.2K ฿870.7K

$26.7K LKR 8.3M

1.98%

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

$34.1K ฿1.1M

$34.8K LKR 10.8M

-1.88%

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

$120 ฿3,849

$61.1 LKR 19.0K

97.12%

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

$13.93 ฿445

$4.26 LKR 1,324

227.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿585

$15.06 LKR 4,681

21.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 ฿1,948

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 ฿551

Cinema Ticket

$8.71 ฿278

$3.42 LKR 1,063

154.68%

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

$698 ฿22.3K

$36.70 LKR 11.4K

1801.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿503.0K

$439 LKR 136.3K

3486.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ฿1,843

$28.04 LKR 8,714

105.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.24 ฿1,095

$19.30 LKR 5,997

77.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,618

$70.8 LKR 22.0K

59.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.8 ฿2,711

$38.07 LKR 11.8K

122.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$604 ฿19.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 ฿13.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 ฿65.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 ฿47.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,252 ฿135.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,988 ฿95.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$529 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

16.45

-67.60%

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

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

Last update for Nuwara Eliya: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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