Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barranquilla and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,473 in Barranquilla, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Barranquilla
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Barranquilla Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Barranquilla

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,473

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,473 per month in Barranquilla vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Barranquilla $1,473
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $2,280 per month in Barranquilla vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Barranquilla $2,280
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $3,087 per month in Barranquilla vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Barranquilla $3,087
Phuket $2,867

Barranquilla costs about 22% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Barranquilla sits 9% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.26 COP 29.4K

$4.58 ฿153

102.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 COP 198.5K

$32.48 ฿1,086

92.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.02 COP 44.5K

$8.55 ฿286

63.98%

Cappuccino

$2.73 COP 8,664

$2.72 ฿91.0

0.37%

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

$1.33 COP 4,230

$0.94 ฿31.25

41.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 COP 4,016

$0.49 ฿16.39

159.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 COP 10.1K

$2.59 ฿86.6

23.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.63 COP 24.2K

$3.83 ฿128

99.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 COP 2,897

$1.74 ฿58.1

-47.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 COP 3,866

$1.43 ฿47.82

-14.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 COP 4,823

$1.53 ฿51.0

-0.65%

Eggs

$2.16 COP 6,836

$2.17 ฿72.7

-0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 COP 16.2K

$19.15 ฿640

-73.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.67 COP 56.0K

$3.30 ฿110

435.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.79 COP 21.5K

$11.14 ฿372

-39.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 COP 6,823

$2.95 ฿98.5

-27.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 COP 3,031

$1.68 ฿56.1

-42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.65 COP 2,047

$2.30 ฿76.8

-71.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 COP 5,804

$2.13 ฿71.3

-14.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 COP 3,931

$1.53 ฿51.1

-18.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 COP 3,055

$1.36 ฿45.55

-29.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 COP 3,911

$1.12 ฿37.44

9.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 COP 3,052

$0.55 ฿18.24

74.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 COP 16.3K

$4.26 ฿142

20.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.50 COP 39.6K

$18.19 ฿608

-31.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 COP 4,855

$1.74 ฿58.2

-12.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 COP 15.1K

$2.79 ฿93.3

70.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,753

$2.22 ฿74.1

-46.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 COP 10.9K

$2.91 ฿97.3

17.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 COP 9,743

$1.01 ฿33.79

203.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.45 COP 49.0K

$3.83 ฿128

303.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 COP 4,178

$1.49 ฿49.85

-11.41%

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

$22.3K COP 70.8M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-16.26%

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

$29.3K COP 93.0M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

9.76%

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

$149 COP 473.8K

$99.4 ฿3,321

50.40%

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

$14.84 COP 47.0K

$11.28 ฿377

31.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.41 COP 102.8K

$17.36 ฿580

86.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.30 COP 108.8K

$52.3 ฿1,747

-34.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 COP 14.5K

$7.57 ฿253

-39.63%

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

$317 COP 1.0M

$558 ฿18.7K

-43.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,749 COP 15.1M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-58.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 COP 362.0K

$62.9 ฿2,102

81.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.68 COP 151.2K

$28.58 ฿955

66.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$189 COP 600.2K

$96.1 ฿3,213

96.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$252 COP 797.8K

$88.1 ฿2,943

185.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 COP 2.5M

$729 ฿24.4K

6.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 COP 1.6M

$460 ฿15.4K

7.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 COP 2.5M

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-61.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$878 COP 2.8M

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-28.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,843 COP 5.8M

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-46.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$641 COP 2.0M

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-74.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$506 COP 1.6M

$493 ฿16.5K

2.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

79.53%

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

Last update for Barranquilla: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barranquilla

$495 33.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Barranquilla

$271 18.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 54.3% $147

Groceries & Markets

Barranquilla

$253 17.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 5.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barranquilla

$197 13.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 34.9% $69

Eating Out

Barranquilla

$191 12.9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 36.3% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Barranquilla

$43 3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 55.2% $24

Getting Around

Barranquilla

$24 * 1.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 65.3% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Barranquilla versus $729 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 3% higher in Barranquilla, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Barranquilla versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $253 in Barranquilla vs $268 in Phuket – so Barranquilla wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Barranquilla

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

04:56 4:56 AM

12 h ahead of Barranquilla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,327,209

79,308

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barranquilla Phuket 17,780 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Barranquilla
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

Barranquilla vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barranquilla costs about 22% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,209 per month in Barranquilla and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,473 in Barranquilla and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $317 per month in Barranquilla and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Barranquilla at $1,473. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barranquilla it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,207 versus $1,473 in Barranquilla. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barranquilla makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.