Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Piliyandala

For one person, living is cheaper in Piliyandala: $580 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Piliyandala
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Piliyandala Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Piliyandala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$580

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Piliyandala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $580 in Piliyandala.

Phuket $1,294
Piliyandala $580

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $917 in Piliyandala.

Phuket $2,204
Piliyandala $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,253 in Piliyandala.

Phuket $3,115
Piliyandala $1,253

Living in Phuket is roughly 123% more expensive than in Piliyandala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Piliyandala 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.06 LKR 1,017

43.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$12.26 LKR 4,078

163.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$7.64 LKR 2,541

13.87%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$2.57 LKR 856

5.84%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.73 LKR 243

27.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.27 LKR 90.6

85.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.25 LKR 749

12.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.05 LKR 1,014

19.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.58 LKR 526

10.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$0.56 LKR 187

158.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.81 LKR 268

85.19%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.71 LKR 568

26.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$15.09 LKR 5,019

26.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.94 LKR 1,643

-31.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.65 LKR 2,544

42.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$6.52 LKR 2,168

-54.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.82 LKR 273

106.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$4.27 LKR 1,420

-48.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.28 LKR 424

65.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.07 LKR 357

36.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$0.83 LKR 275

65.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.25 LKR 415

-13.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.45 LKR 150

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$10.38 LKR 3,452

-57.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$13.32 LKR 4,430

37.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.87 LKR 623

-5.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.92 LKR 971

-1.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.37 LKR 123

291.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.41 LKR 136

268.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.31 LKR 105

151.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$0.87 LKR 291

341.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.34 LKR 445

11.19%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$42.9K LKR 14.3M

-37.27%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$46.2K LKR 15.4M

-42.95%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$55.9 LKR 18.6K

75.04%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$4.25 LKR 1,413

165.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$20.79 LKR 6,914

-17.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.48 LKR 1,491

65.85%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$40.91 LKR 13.6K

1196.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

9.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$17.85 LKR 5,937

245.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$17.46 LKR 5,806

61.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$77.9 LKR 25.9K

23.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$41.22 LKR 13.7K

110.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$107 LKR 35.6K

574.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$75.2 LKR 25.0K

576.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$253 LKR 84.0K

671.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$181 LKR 60.1K

672.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$302 LKR 100.3K

63.03%

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 Piliyandala: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Piliyandala

$75 13% 85.2% $434

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Piliyandala

$243 41.8% 9.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Piliyandala

$81 14% 35.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Piliyandala

$70 12% 43.4% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Piliyandala

$100 17.2% 16.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Piliyandala

$9 * 1.6% 89.2% $74

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Piliyandala

$3.5 * 0.6% 94.8% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $107 in Piliyandala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 63% 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 $12 in Piliyandala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $243 per month, with Piliyandala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Piliyandala

🕒 Local time

20:46 8:46 PM

19:16 7:16 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Piliyandala 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Piliyandala

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 Piliyandala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Piliyandala is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $107 in Piliyandala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $41 in Piliyandala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Piliyandala – a meal for two runs $12 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $580 in Piliyandala versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Piliyandala but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Piliyandala 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 Piliyandala are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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