Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, SC and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, SC and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Columbia, SC is 55.2% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 72% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Columbia, SC is 49.7% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 18.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Columbia, SC
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.20 $18.20
$4.65 ฿147
291.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.6 $60.6
$46.11 ฿1,460
31.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.99 $11.99
$8.74 ฿277
37.19%
Cappuccino
$3.65 $3.65
$3.04 ฿96.2
20.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$0.72 ฿22.80
236.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 $1.85
$0.39 ฿12.38
374.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.47 $4.47
$2.44 ฿77.2
83.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.59 $5.59
$3.79 ฿120
47.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Columbia, SC
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.88 $0.88
$2.14 ฿67.9
-58.88%
White Bread (500g)
$2.67 $2.67
$1.86 ฿58.9
43.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.52 $3.52
$2.19 ฿69.2
60.73%
Eggs
$4.22 $4.22
$2.25 ฿71.1
87.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.59 $9.59
$19.73 ฿625
-51.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.00 $13.00
$3.79 ฿120
243.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.32 $22.32
$13.55 ฿429
64.72%
Apples (1kg)
$5.27 $5.27
$3.25 ฿103
62.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.80 $1.80
$1.67 ฿52.9
7.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.06 $5.06
$2.39 ฿75.7
111.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.24 $3.24
$2.09 ฿66.2
55.02%
Potato (1kg)
$3.23 $3.23
$1.53 ฿48.39
111.11%
Onion (1kg)
$4.74 $4.74
$1.51 ฿47.79
213.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.01 $2.01
$0.99 ฿31.30
103.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.83 $1.83
$0.51 ฿16.30
258.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.39 $8.39
$4.27 ฿135
96.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.90 $14.90
$20.31 ฿643
-26.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.00 $2.00
$1.79 ฿56.7
11.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 $2.65
$2.77 ฿87.6
-4.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Columbia, SC
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.03 $2.03
$1.40 ฿44.44
45.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.69 $39.69
$11.70 ฿370
239.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.94 $1.94
$3.11 ฿98.4
-37.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.47 $1.47
$0.99 ฿31.48
48.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.33 $18.33
$13.73 ฿435
33.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.81 $0.81
$1.32 ฿41.75
-38.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.7K $29.7K
$27.2K ฿862.0K
9.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.6K $25.6K
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-24.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Columbia, SC
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$219 $219
$120 ฿3,811
81.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$55.3 $55.3
$13.93 ฿441
297.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.4 $59.4
$18.31 ฿579
224.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Columbia, SC
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.52 $39.52
$60.9 ฿1,928
-35.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.91 $6.91
$17.23 ฿545
-59.90%
Cinema Ticket
$14.80 $14.80
$8.71 ฿276
69.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Columbia, SC
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,422 $1,422
$698 ฿22.1K
103.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.5K $22.5K
$15.7K ฿498.0K
42.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Columbia, SC
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.6 $56.6
$57.6 ฿1,824
-1.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.13 $35.13
$34.24 ฿1,084
2.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 $78.3
$113 ฿3,582
-30.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 $112
$84.8 ฿2,684
32.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Columbia, SC
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,290 $1,290
$604 ฿19.1K
113.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$923 $923
$436 ฿13.8K
111.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,177 $2,177
$2,057 ฿65.1K
5.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,270 $1,270
$1,498 ฿47.4K
-15.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,107 $2,107
$4,252 ฿134.6K
-50.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,679 $1,679
$2,988 ฿94.6K
-43.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Columbia, SC
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,214 $3,214
$529 ฿16.7K
507.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.54
5.33
22.70%

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

Last update for Columbia, SC: March 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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