Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, SC and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,193 in Columbia, SC, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, SC
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Columbia, SC Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Columbia, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,193

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,193 in Columbia, SC versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Columbia, SC $2,193
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Columbia, SC versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Columbia, SC $3,366
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,538 in Columbia, SC versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Columbia, SC $4,538
Phuket $3,154

Living in Columbia, SC is roughly 72% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Columbia, SC is 61% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 $19.80

$4.47 ฿151

342.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 $61.1

$32.41 ฿1,093

88.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$8.81 ฿297

35.87%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$2.83 ฿95.4

91.52%

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

$2.80 $2.80

$0.87 ฿29.40

221.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.49 ฿16.65

344.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.56 ฿86.3

112.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 $6.39

$3.68 ฿124

73.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.66 ฿55.9

-49.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.46 ฿49.29

73.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.50 ฿50.5

201.33%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$2.09 ฿70.5

92.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 $10.49

$19.07 ฿643

-44.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.14 $11.14

$3.30 ฿111

237.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.89 $15.89

$10.91 ฿368

45.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$2.93 ฿98.8

79.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.69 ฿57.0

-3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.45 $6.45

$2.25 ฿75.7

186.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.08 ฿70.0

196.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.51 ฿51.0

105.30%

Onion (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.38 ฿46.51

215.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.07 ฿35.95

87.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.52 ฿17.50

244.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.40 $8.40

$4.20 ฿142

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.62 $15.62

$18.79 ฿634

-16.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.82 ฿61.4

0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.84 ฿95.8

-5.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.45 ฿48.97

36.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.15 $40.15

$56.7 ฿1,911

-29.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.02 ฿102

-34.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.02 ฿34.32

55.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.89 $17.89

$3.69 ฿124

384.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.47 ฿49.75

-38.10%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.8K ฿903.2K

0.14%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$26.7K ฿900.3K

-5.57%

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

$277 $277

$96.4 ฿3,250

187.76%

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

$60.2 $60.2

$11.26 ฿380

434.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$16.85 ฿568

278.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.47 $34.47

$67.2 ฿2,268

-48.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 $18.22

$10.73 ฿362

69.80%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 $15.22

$7.50 ฿253

102.93%

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

$1,117 $1,117

$476 ฿16.1K

134.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$11.3K ฿379.9K

103.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 $52.3

$62.4 ฿2,103

-16.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 $39.57

$28.41 ฿958

39.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 $82.2

$94.3 ฿3,180

-12.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$85.8 ฿2,894

33.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 $1,430

$716 ฿24.1K

99.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 $832

$491 ฿16.6K

69.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,198 $3,198

$1,927 ฿65.0K

65.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 $1,672

$1,431 ฿48.3K

16.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,313 $2,313

$4,175 ฿140.8K

-44.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,668 $1,668

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-45.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,240 $3,240

$502 ฿16.9K

545.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

5.57

17.77%

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

Last update for Columbia, SC: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, SC

$832 37.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 41% $341

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, SC

$401 18.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 69% $277

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, SC

$389 17.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 31.5% $123

Eating Out

Columbia, SC

$319 14.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 61.9% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, SC

$130 5.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 6% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, SC

$65 3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 26.7% $17

Getting Around

Columbia, SC

$58 2.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 21.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,430 in Columbia, SC and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, SC pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Columbia, SC vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, SC

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

21:28 9:28 PM

12 h ahead of Columbia, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,698

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Columbia, SC Phuket 15,360 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbia, SC
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

Columbia, SC vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Columbia, SC is about 6.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,430 in Columbia, SC versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Columbia, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $61 in Columbia, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,193 in Columbia, SC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Columbia, SC. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Columbia, SC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Columbia, SC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.