Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, TN and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,298 in Columbia, TN, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

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

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Columbia, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,298

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,298 in Columbia, TN versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Columbia, TN $2,298
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,486 in Columbia, TN versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Columbia, TN $3,486
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,674 in Columbia, TN versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Columbia, TN $4,674
Phuket $3,154

Living in Columbia, TN is roughly 80% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Columbia, TN is 69% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.93 $11.93

$4.47 ฿151

166.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 $60.6

$32.41 ฿1,094

87.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 $10.14

$8.81 ฿297

15.10%

Cappuccino

$3.89 $3.89

$2.83 ฿95.4

37.46%

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

$2.16 $2.16

$0.87 ฿29.42

148.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$0.49 ฿16.66

218.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 $6.33

$2.56 ฿86.3

147.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 $7.32

$3.68 ฿124

98.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.66 ฿56.0

-42.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.46 ฿49.32

98.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.50 ฿50.5

168.00%

Eggs

$2.56 $2.56

$2.09 ฿70.5

22.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 $13.29

$19.07 ฿643

-30.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$3.30 ฿111

97.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 $13.09

$10.91 ฿368

19.98%

Apples (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.93 ฿98.9

90.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.69 ฿57.0

-26.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$2.25 ฿75.8

156.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.08 ฿70.1

93.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.51 ฿51.0

109.27%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.38 ฿46.54

202.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.07 ฿35.97

136.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.52 ฿17.51

309.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.48 $9.48

$4.20 ฿142

125.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 $13.11

$18.79 ฿634

-30.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.82 ฿61.5

-7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.84 ฿95.9

-44.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 $1.99

$3.02 ฿102

-34.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.02 ฿34.34

35.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.99 $19.99

$3.69 ฿125

441.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.47 ฿49.78

-51.70%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

6.11%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-0.24%

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

$157 $157

$96.4 ฿3,252

63.20%

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

$61.2 $61.2

$11.26 ฿380

443.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.0 $75.0

$16.85 ฿569

344.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.45 $35.45

$67.2 ฿2,269

-47.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 $12.59

$7.50 ฿253

67.87%

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

$1,678 $1,678

$476 ฿16.1K

252.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K $24.9K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

120.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.38 $40.38

$62.4 ฿2,105

-35.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.60 $33.60

$28.41 ฿959

18.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 $82.3

$94.3 ฿3,182

-12.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 $89.2

$85.8 ฿2,896

3.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 $1,471

$716 ฿24.2K

105.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 $1,244

$491 ฿16.6K

153.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,573 $2,573

$1,927 ฿65.0K

33.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,378 $2,378

$1,431 ฿48.3K

66.23%

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)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

5.57

18.49%

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

Last update for Columbia, TN: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, TN

$1.2K 54.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 60.5% $753

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, TN

$347 15.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 23.2% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, TN

$293 12.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 57.6% $169

Eating Out

Columbia, TN

$234 10.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 47.9% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, TN

$110 4.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 10.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, TN

$61 2.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 35.6% $22

Getting Around

Columbia, TN

$8.9 * 0.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 692% $62

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 $1,471 in Columbia, TN and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Columbia, TN vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, TN

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

16:20 4:20 PM

13 h ahead of Columbia, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,228

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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Columbia, TN Phuket 15,140 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Phuket is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,446 in Columbia, TN and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,471 in Columbia, TN versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,678 in Columbia, TN versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,298 in Columbia, TN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Columbia, TN. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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.