Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Polonnaruwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $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 Polonnaruwa
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Polonnaruwa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Polonnaruwa

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

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

Phuket $1,294
Polonnaruwa $510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $829 in Polonnaruwa.

Phuket $2,204
Polonnaruwa $829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,148 in Polonnaruwa.

Phuket $3,115
Polonnaruwa $1,148

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$3.89 LKR 1,294

12.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$25.28 LKR 8,410

27.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$7.32 LKR 2,435

18.85%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.56 LKR 850

6.25%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.69 LKR 228

34.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.27 LKR 89.8

85.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$2.17 LKR 721

16.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.98 LKR 990

21.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.58 LKR 526

10.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$0.54 LKR 178

168.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.81 LKR 269

85.19%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.70 LKR 567

27.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$15.24 LKR 5,069

25.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.93 LKR 1,639

-31.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.66 LKR 2,547

42.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$6.48 LKR 2,156

-54.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$0.81 LKR 269

108.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$4.25 LKR 1,414

-48.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.27 LKR 423

66.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.04 LKR 345

40.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$0.77 LKR 255

77.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$1.26 LKR 419

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.42 LKR 139

30.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$10.10 LKR 3,358

-56.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$13.57 LKR 4,513

34.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.87 LKR 622

-5.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.98 LKR 990

-3.36%

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 102

151.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$0.86 LKR 285

346.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.32 LKR 439

12.88%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$44.4K LKR 14.8M

-39.50%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

-42.15%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

68.70%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$4.27 LKR 1,419

164.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$20.36 LKR 6,772

-15.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.60 LKR 1,532

61.52%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$40.23 LKR 13.4K

1218.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

9.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$18.01 LKR 5,989

242.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$17.32 LKR 5,761

63.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$78.8 LKR 26.2K

21.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$41.05 LKR 13.7K

111.47%

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 Polonnaruwa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Polonnaruwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Polonnaruwa

$242 47.5% 9.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Polonnaruwa

$83 16.2% 34.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.7% 43.1% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Polonnaruwa

$104 20.5% 12.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Polonnaruwa

$9.2 * 1.8% 88.9% $74

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Polonnaruwa

$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 Polonnaruwa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $242 per month, with Polonnaruwa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🕒 Local time

14:40 2:40 PM

13:10 1:10 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

15,000

💱 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 Polonnaruwa 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Polonnaruwa

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 Polonnaruwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Polonnaruwa 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 $765 in Polonnaruwa 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 Polonnaruwa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Polonnaruwa – 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 Polonnaruwa versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Polonnaruwa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Polonnaruwa 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 Polonnaruwa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.