Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ragama and Phuket

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.

24

Cost of Living Index in Ragama
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Ragama Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$502

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ragama and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ragama and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Ragama $502
Phuket $1,278

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

Ragama $816
Phuket $2,216

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

Ragama $1,129
Phuket $3,154

Living in Ragama costs roughly 61% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.89 LKR 1,294

$4.47 ฿151

-12.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.24 LKR 8,390

$32.41 ฿1,094

-22.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 LKR 2,467

$8.81 ฿297

-15.78%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 815

$2.83 ฿95.5

-13.43%

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

$0.73 LKR 243

$0.87 ฿29.43

-16.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.2

$0.49 ฿16.67

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 LKR 750

$2.56 ฿86.4

-11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 LKR 1,000

$3.68 ฿124

-18.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 LKR 474

$1.66 ฿56.0

-13.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 LKR 165

$1.46 ฿49.35

-65.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 LKR 227

$1.50 ฿50.6

-54.67%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$2.09 ฿70.5

-20.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.02 LKR 4,660

$19.07 ฿644

-26.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 LKR 1,603

$3.30 ฿111

46.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 LKR 2,460

$10.91 ฿368

-32.17%

Apples (1kg)

$6.56 LKR 2,180

$2.93 ฿99.0

123.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$1.69 ฿57.1

-52.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 LKR 1,435

$2.25 ฿75.8

92.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 437

$2.08 ฿70.1

-36.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 345

$1.51 ฿51.0

-31.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.38 ฿46.56

-44.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 LKR 306

$1.07 ฿35.99

-14.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.52 ฿17.52

-13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 LKR 3,380

$4.20 ฿142

142.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.95 LKR 4,304

$18.79 ฿634

-31.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 LKR 636

$1.82 ฿61.5

4.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 997

$2.84 ฿95.9

5.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 126

$3.02 ฿102

-87.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$1.02 ฿34.36

-65.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 288

$3.69 ฿125

-76.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 444

$1.47 ฿49.81

-8.84%

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

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

64.47%

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

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

49.63%

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

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

$96.4 ฿3,254

-39.79%

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

$4.24 LKR 1,409

$11.26 ฿380

-62.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.84 LKR 6,927

$16.85 ฿569

23.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,471

$7.50 ฿253

-41.07%

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

$37.33 LKR 12.4K

$476 ฿16.1K

-92.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,217 LKR 404.6K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-89.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.43 LKR 6,126

$62.4 ฿2,106

-70.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,526

$28.41 ฿959

-41.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-15.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

$85.8 ฿2,898

-50.90%

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 %)

12.69

5.57

127.83%

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

Last update for Ragama: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ragama

$234 46.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 14% $33

Eating Out

Ragama

$104 20.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ragama

$83 16.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 49.8% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Ragama

$70 14%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 73% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 829% $73

Getting Around

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 3245% $68

Accommodation & Living

Ragama

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $25 in Ragama vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $266 per month, with Ragama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ragama

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Ragama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

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).

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).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ragama Phuket 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ragama
Phuket

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

Ragama vs Phuket: 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 $753 in Ragama and $1,917 in Phuket 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 $37 in Ragama versus $476 in Phuket. 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.