Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ratnapura and Phuket

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.

23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
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Ratnapura Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ratnapura 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 Ratnapura and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Ratnapura $477
Phuket $1,278

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

Ratnapura $765
Phuket $2,216

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

Ratnapura $1,054
Phuket $3,154

Living in Ratnapura costs roughly 63% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 LKR 647

$4.47 ฿151

-56.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.22 LKR 3,067

$32.41 ฿1,094

-71.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 LKR 2,014

$8.81 ฿297

-31.21%

Cappuccino

$2.08 LKR 691

$2.83 ฿95.4

-26.50%

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

$0.73 LKR 244

$0.87 ฿29.42

-16.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 LKR 146

$0.49 ฿16.66

-10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 LKR 642

$2.56 ฿86.3

-24.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 LKR 921

$3.68 ฿124

-24.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 LKR 612

$1.66 ฿56.0

10.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 LKR 263

$1.46 ฿49.32

-45.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 LKR 219

$1.50 ฿50.5

-56.00%

Eggs

$1.07 LKR 357

$2.09 ฿70.5

-48.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.73 LKR 4,899

$19.07 ฿643

-22.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 LKR 2,126

$3.30 ฿111

93.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.60 LKR 5,188

$10.91 ฿368

42.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,418

$2.93 ฿98.9

45.39%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 248

$1.69 ฿57.0

-55.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 LKR 1,378

$2.25 ฿75.8

84.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 LKR 311

$2.08 ฿70.1

-54.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 LKR 349

$1.51 ฿51.0

-30.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 LKR 466

$1.38 ฿46.54

1.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 LKR 154

$1.07 ฿35.97

-57.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 144

$0.52 ฿17.51

-17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.86 LKR 4,275

$4.20 ฿142

206.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.92 LKR 4,297

$18.79 ฿634

-31.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 LKR 694

$1.82 ฿61.5

14.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 LKR 959

$2.84 ฿95.9

1.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 LKR 115

$1.45 ฿49.00

-76.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 124

$3.02 ฿102

-87.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 LKR 146

$1.02 ฿34.34

-56.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 LKR 332

$1.47 ฿49.78

-31.97%

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

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-26.21%

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

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-26.38%

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)

$2.07 LKR 688

$11.26 ฿380

-81.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.41 LKR 2,463

$16.85 ฿569

-56.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.13 LKR 3,035

$67.2 ฿2,269

-86.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$2.39 LKR 795

$7.50 ฿253

-68.13%

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)

$10.48 LKR 3,485

$62.4 ฿2,105

-83.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.70 LKR 2,561

$28.41 ฿959

-72.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 LKR 28.0K

$94.3 ฿3,182

-10.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.89 LKR 8,611

$85.8 ฿2,896

-69.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.1 LKR 25.3K

$716 ฿24.2K

-89.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$54.6 LKR 18.2K

$491 ฿16.6K

-88.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$84.6 LKR 28.1K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-94.09%

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)

$166 LKR 55.3K

$502 ฿17.0K

-66.88%

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 Ratnapura: 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

Ratnapura

$258 54.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 3.1% $7.9

Eating Out

Ratnapura

$79 16.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 54.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Ratnapura

$58 12.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 111% $64

Accommodation & Living

Ratnapura

$55 11.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 799% $436

Sport & Entertainment

Ratnapura

$14 2.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 491% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 1214% $115

Getting Around

Ratnapura

$4 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 1687% $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 $76 in Ratnapura and $716 in Phuket. 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: $9 in Ratnapura vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $266 per month, with Ratnapura cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

11:11 11:11 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Ratnapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,100

79,308

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ratnapura Phuket 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ratnapura
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

Ratnapura vs Phuket: 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.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Ratnapura. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $76 in Ratnapura versus $716 in Phuket. 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, Ratnapura and Phuket 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.