Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nuwara Eliya

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuwara Eliya: $510 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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 Nuwara Eliya
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Nuwara Eliya Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Nuwara Eliya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nuwara Eliya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $510 in Nuwara Eliya.

Phuket $1,294
Nuwara Eliya $510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $827 in Nuwara Eliya.

Phuket $2,204
Nuwara Eliya $827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,145 in Nuwara Eliya.

Phuket $3,115
Nuwara Eliya $1,145

Living in Phuket is roughly 154% more expensive than in Nuwara Eliya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Nuwara Eliya 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$3.85 LKR 1,282

14.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$24.56 LKR 8,169

31.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$7.65 LKR 2,545

13.73%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.43 LKR 809

11.93%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.37 LKR 122

151.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.25 LKR 82.5

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$2.19 LKR 728

15.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.03 LKR 1,008

19.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.56 LKR 520

11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$0.53 LKR 175

173.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.74 LKR 247

102.70%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.70 LKR 564

27.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$15.44 LKR 5,136

23.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.10 LKR 1,696

-33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.42 LKR 2,467

46.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$6.74 LKR 2,243

-56.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$0.84 LKR 279

101.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$4.17 LKR 1,388

-47.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.27 LKR 422

66.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.08 LKR 360

35.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$0.83 LKR 276

65.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$1.21 LKR 403

-10.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.45 LKR 150

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$10.43 LKR 3,471

-57.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$13.78 LKR 4,582

32.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.93 LKR 643

-8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.97 LKR 989

-3.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.37 LKR 124

308.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.31 LKR 103

151.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$0.86 LKR 286

346.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.33 LKR 441

12.03%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

-38.51%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

-42.27%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$56.4 LKR 18.8K

73.42%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$4.13 LKR 1,375

173.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$20.61 LKR 6,854

-16.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.50 LKR 1,496

65.11%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$39.94 LKR 13.3K

1228.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

7.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$18.00 LKR 5,988

242.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$17.55 LKR 5,838

60.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$79.7 LKR 26.5K

20.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$41.09 LKR 13.7K

111.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.5

-55.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nuwara Eliya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Nuwara Eliya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Nuwara Eliya

$245 48.1% 8.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Nuwara Eliya

$81 15.9% 35.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Nuwara Eliya

$70 13.8% 42.7% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Nuwara Eliya

$102 20.1% 14.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Nuwara Eliya

$9 * 1.8% 89.2% $74

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Nuwara Eliya

$1.9 * 0.4% 97.1% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $25 in Nuwara Eliya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $245 per month, with Nuwara Eliya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Nuwara Eliya

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

13:51 1:51 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

27,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Nuwara Eliya 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nuwara Eliya

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 Nuwara Eliya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nuwara Eliya is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $764 in Nuwara Eliya to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $40 in Nuwara Eliya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nuwara Eliya – a meal for two runs $25 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $510 in Nuwara Eliya versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nuwara Eliya but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Nuwara Eliya 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 Nuwara Eliya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.