Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $502 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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 Ragama
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Ragama Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ragama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $502 in Ragama.

Phuket $1,278
Ragama $502

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $816 in Ragama.

Phuket $2,216
Ragama $816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,129 in Ragama.

Phuket $3,154
Ragama $1,129

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ragama 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.89 LKR 1,294

14.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$25.24 LKR 8,390

28.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.42 LKR 2,467

18.73%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.45 LKR 815

15.51%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.73 LKR 243

19.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.27 LKR 90.2

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.26 LKR 750

13.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.01 LKR 1,000

22.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.43 LKR 474

16.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.50 LKR 165

192.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.68 LKR 227

120.59%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.66 LKR 551

25.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$14.02 LKR 4,660

36.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.82 LKR 1,603

-31.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.40 LKR 2,460

47.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$6.56 LKR 2,180

-55.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.81 LKR 270

108.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.32 LKR 1,435

-47.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.32 LKR 437

57.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.04 LKR 345

45.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.77 LKR 255

79.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.92 LKR 306

16.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.45 LKR 150

15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.17 LKR 3,380

-58.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.95 LKR 4,304

45.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.91 LKR 636

-4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.00 LKR 997

-5.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.38 LKR 126

694.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.35 LKR 115

191.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$0.87 LKR 288

324.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.34 LKR 444

9.70%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

-39.20%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

-33.17%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

66.09%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.24 LKR 1,409

165.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$20.84 LKR 6,927

-19.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.42 LKR 1,471

69.68%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$37.33 LKR 12.4K

1174.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$1,217 LKR 404.6K

825.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$18.43 LKR 6,126

238.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$16.62 LKR 5,526

70.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

18.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

103.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.69

-56.11%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ragama: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ragama

$234 46.5% 12.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ragama

$83 16.5% 33.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ragama

$70 14% 42.2% $51

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ragama

$104 20.7% 14.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8% 89.2% $73

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4% 97% $68

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 Ragama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $234 per month, with Ragama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Ragama

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

02:49 2:49 AM

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 = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ragama 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ragama

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 Ragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ragama 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 $1,917 in Phuket and $753 in Ragama 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 $476 in Phuket versus $37 in Ragama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ragama – 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 $502 in Ragama versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Ragama but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ragama 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.