Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ratnapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $477 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
Learn more

Ratnapura Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ratnapura

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $477 in Ratnapura.

Phuket $1,278
Ratnapura $477

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $765 in Ratnapura.

Phuket $2,216
Ratnapura $765

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,054 in Ratnapura.

Phuket $3,154
Ratnapura $1,054

Living in Phuket is roughly 168% more expensive than in Ratnapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ratnapura 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.95 LKR 647

129.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$9.22 LKR 3,067

251.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.06 LKR 2,014

45.38%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.08 LKR 691

36.06%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.73 LKR 244

19.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.44 LKR 146

11.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.93 LKR 642

32.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.77 LKR 921

32.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.84 LKR 612

-9.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.79 LKR 263

84.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.66 LKR 219

127.27%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.07 LKR 357

95.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$14.73 LKR 4,899

29.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.39 LKR 2,126

-48.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.60 LKR 5,188

-30.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.26 LKR 1,418

-31.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.75 LKR 248

125.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.14 LKR 1,378

-45.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.94 LKR 311

121.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.05 LKR 349

43.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.40 LKR 466

-1.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.46 LKR 154

132.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.43 LKR 144

20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$12.86 LKR 4,275

-67.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.92 LKR 4,297

45.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.09 LKR 694

-12.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.88 LKR 959

-1.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.34 LKR 115

326.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.37 LKR 124

716.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.44 LKR 146

131.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.00 LKR 332

47.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

35.53%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

35.83%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

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

$11.26 ฿380

$2.07 LKR 688

443.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$7.41 LKR 2,463

127.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$9.13 LKR 3,035

636.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.39 LKR 795

213.81%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$10.48 LKR 3,485

495.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$7.70 LKR 2,561

268.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$84.3 LKR 28.0K

11.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$25.89 LKR 8,611

231.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$76.1 LKR 25.3K

840.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$54.6 LKR 18.2K

799.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$84.6 LKR 28.1K

1591.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$166 LKR 55.3K

201.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ratnapura: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ratnapura

$55 11.5% 88.9% $436

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ratnapura

$258 54.2% 3% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2% 92.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ratnapura

$58 12.1% 52.6% $64

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ratnapura

$79 16.5% 35.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ratnapura

$14 2.9% 83.1% $68

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ratnapura

$4 * 0.8% 94.4% $67

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 $716 in Phuket and $76 in Ratnapura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $9 in Ratnapura for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $258 per month, with Ratnapura cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

14:01 2:01 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

52,100

💱 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 = 2.69 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Ratnapura 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ratnapura

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 Ratnapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ratnapura is about 63% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 3 times higher, 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: $716 in Phuket versus $76 in Ratnapura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ratnapura – a meal for two runs $9 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $477 in Ratnapura versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ratnapura but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ratnapura 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 Ratnapura are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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