Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Panadura

For one person, living is cheaper in Panadura: $512 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.

Phuket, Thailand
Panadura, Sri Lanka
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Panadura
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$512
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Panadura

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $512 in Panadura, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Panadura $512

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $831 in Panadura, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Panadura $831

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,150 in Panadura, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Panadura $1,150

Phuket costs about 153% more than Panadura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Panadura are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Panadura 62% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Panadura
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿147
$3.86 LKR 1,285
13.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,085
$24.93 LKR 8,292
29.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿292
$7.50 LKR 2,496
16.00%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.5
$2.53 LKR 841
7.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.25
$0.69 LKR 229
34.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.78
$0.27 LKR 89.9
85.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.0
$2.23 LKR 742
13.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$2.97 LKR 988
22.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Panadura
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.4
$1.64 LKR 546
6.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.73
$0.57 LKR 190
154.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$0.77 LKR 256
94.81%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.0
$1.69 LKR 561
28.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿641
$15.46 LKR 5,141
23.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$5.07 LKR 1,686
-32.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿366
$7.49 LKR 2,493
45.53%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.8
$6.47 LKR 2,153
-54.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.8
$0.83 LKR 277
103.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.7
$4.26 LKR 1,415
-48.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.4
$1.34 LKR 445
58.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿48.99
$1.08 LKR 360
35.19%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.95
$0.83 LKR 277
65.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.14
$1.21 LKR 404
-10.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.32
$0.46 LKR 152
19.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$10.40 LKR 3,458
-57.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿613
$13.46 LKR 4,477
35.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.5
$1.97 LKR 655
-10.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.8
$2.81 LKR 936
2.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Panadura
Difference
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
$0.92 LKR 305
317.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.96
$1.31 LKR 436
13.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿902.9K
$43.4K LKR 14.4M
-38.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿884.9K
$45.3K LKR 15.1M
-41.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Panadura
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,285
$56.9 LKR 18.9K
71.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿379
$4.19 LKR 1,393
169.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿577
$20.90 LKR 6,951
-17.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Panadura
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,295
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿367
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿250
$4.55 LKR 1,512
63.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Panadura
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.8K
$40.02 LKR 13.3K
1225.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿630.9K
$17.6K LKR 5.8M
7.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Panadura
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,072
$17.74 LKR 5,899
247.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿949
$17.50 LKR 5,820
61.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,225
$77.4 LKR 25.8K
23.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,916
$41.97 LKR 14.0K
106.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Panadura
Difference
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
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Panadura
Difference
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 Panadura: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Panadura
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Panadura
$245 8.2% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Panadura
$82 35.1% $44
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Panadura
$70 43.3% $53
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Panadura
$105 12.4% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Panadura
$9.1 * 89.1% $74
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Panadura
$1.9 * 97.1% $64

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 Panadura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $245 – making Panadura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇱🇰 Panadura
🕒 Local time
14:54 2:54 PM
13:24 1:24 PM
1 h 30 min behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
33,735
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Panadura 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Panadura

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 Panadura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Panadura cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 153%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $768 in Panadura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Panadura?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $512 in Panadura. That makes Panadura about 60% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $40 in Panadura. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Panadura?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Panadura, where all-in costs run around $512, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Panadura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Panadura?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $512 in Panadura to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?