Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,292 in Cartagena, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cartagena outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,292 per month in Cartagena vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Cartagena $1,292
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $2,165 per month in Cartagena vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Cartagena $2,165
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $3,039 per month in Cartagena vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Cartagena $3,039
Phuket $2,867

Cartagena costs about 7% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cartagena and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Cartagena 4% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 COP 18.6K

$4.58 ฿153

28.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 COP 453.5K

$32.48 ฿1,086

340.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 COP 32.9K

$8.55 ฿286

21.29%

Cappuccino

$4.26 COP 13.5K

$2.72 ฿91.0

56.62%

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

$2.54 COP 8,063

$0.94 ฿31.25

170.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 COP 7,478

$0.49 ฿16.39

381.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 COP 10.3K

$2.59 ฿86.6

25.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 COP 15.7K

$3.83 ฿128

29.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 COP 6,053

$1.74 ฿58.1

9.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 COP 8,692

$1.43 ฿47.82

91.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,610

$1.53 ฿51.0

-5.23%

Eggs

$5.06 COP 16.0K

$2.17 ฿72.7

133.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 COP 41.6K

$19.15 ฿640

-31.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.37 COP 55.1K

$3.30 ฿110

426.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 COP 6,304

$0.55 ฿18.24

261.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 COP 46.4K

$18.19 ฿608

-19.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,436

$1.74 ฿58.2

-19.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,972

$2.22 ฿74.1

-43.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 COP 185.2K

$22.06 ฿737

164.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 COP 15.0K

$2.91 ฿97.3

62.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 COP 11.7K

$1.01 ฿33.79

264.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 COP 30.1K

$3.83 ฿128

147.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,251

$1.49 ฿49.85

-10.07%

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

$23.4K COP 74.1M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-12.40%

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

$34.4K COP 109.2M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

28.94%

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

$78.4 COP 248.6K

$99.4 ฿3,321

-21.08%

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

$11.28 ฿377

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.7 COP 290.8K

$52.3 ฿1,747

75.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 COP 25.4K

$7.57 ฿253

5.94%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$558 ฿18.7K

12.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,818 COP 18.4M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-49.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 COP 3.3M

$729 ฿24.4K

41.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 COP 1.9M

$460 ฿15.4K

27.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 COP 7.3M

$2,096 ฿70.0K

9.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 COP 3.0M

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-22.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$924 COP 2.9M

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-62.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 COP 1.5M

$493 ฿16.5K

-5.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

169.30%

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

Last update for Cartagena: 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

Cartagena

$585 45.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 21.4% $125

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$259 * 20%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 3.3% $8.6

Eating Out

Cartagena

$175 13.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 30.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$108 8.3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 37.4% $40

Getting Around

Cartagena

$87 6.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 55.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 63.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

- * 0%

Phuket

$124 10.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,035 in Cartagena 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 6% higher in Phuket, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $143 in Cartagena versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Cartagena vs $268 in Phuket – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

20:41 8:41 PM

12 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cartagena Phuket 17,870 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
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

Cartagena vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena costs about 7% 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 $1,938 per month in Cartagena 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.

Kindergarten costs $630 per month in Cartagena and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Cartagena – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Cartagena at $1,292. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cartagena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,207 versus $1,292 in Cartagena. 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, Cartagena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.