Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbus, IN and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,080 in Columbus, IN, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Columbus, IN
Learn more

Columbus, IN Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Columbus, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,080

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,080 per month in Columbus, IN vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Columbus, IN $2,080
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,100 per month in Columbus, IN vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Columbus, IN $3,100
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $4,121 per month in Columbus, IN vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Columbus, IN $4,121
Phuket $2,845

Columbus, IN costs about 72% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Columbus, IN sits 53% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.24 $15.24

$4.40 ฿147

246.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.85 $49.85

$32.26 ฿1,078

54.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.04 $10.04

$8.76 ฿293

14.61%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$2.83 ฿94.5

72.79%

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

$2.24 $2.24

$0.90 ฿30.14

148.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$0.47 ฿15.56

255.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.55 ฿85.2

114.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.65 $7.65

$3.83 ฿128

99.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.73 ฿57.7

-46.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.47 ฿49.11

118.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.51 ฿50.6

124.50%

Eggs

$2.34 $2.34

$2.17 ฿72.7

7.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 $12.61

$19.70 ฿658

-35.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.26 $11.26

$3.34 ฿112

237.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 $9.28

$11.16 ฿373

-16.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.85 ฿95.1

58.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.70 ฿56.9

-22.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.19 ฿73.3

100.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.05 ฿68.4

116.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.45 ฿48.57

76.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.38 ฿46.16

128.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.07 ฿35.69

85.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 $0.47

$0.51 ฿16.91

-7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.09 $8.09

$4.26 ฿142

89.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$18.58 ฿621

-18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.78 ฿59.7

16.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.85 ฿95.2

3.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 $3.67

$3.01 ฿101

21.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.06 ฿35.34

17.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.62 $24.62

$3.86 ฿129

537.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.45 ฿48.45

-40.00%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

37.12%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-3.39%

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

$151 $151

$96.4 ฿3,221

56.88%

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

$54.4 $54.4

$11.04 ฿369

392.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$17.14 ฿573

328.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.12 $44.12

$52.2 ฿1,744

-15.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.65 $35.65

$11.16 ฿373

219.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.84 $11.84

$7.81 ฿261

51.60%

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

$1,463 $1,463

$556 ฿18.6K

163.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K $19.6K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

69.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.49 $45.49

$64.2 ฿2,146

-29.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.10 $40.10

$28.69 ฿959

39.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 $86.5

$95.4 ฿3,187

-9.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$88.0 ฿2,940

21.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 $1,319

$737 ฿24.6K

78.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$997 $997

$462 ฿15.5K

115.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 $1,845

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-11.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,774 $1,774

$1,201 ฿40.1K

47.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,765 $1,765

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-49.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,715 $1,715

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-32.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,986 $3,986

$501 ฿16.7K

696.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

5.57

18.31%

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

Last update for Columbus, IN: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbus, IN

$997 48%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 53.6% $535

Groceries & Markets

Columbus, IN

$331 15.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 18.8% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbus, IN

$279 13.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 55.4% $154

Eating Out

Columbus, IN

$269 12.9%

Phuket

$121 10% 54.9% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Columbus, IN

$126 6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 1.1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Columbus, IN

$68 3.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 0% $0

Getting Around

Columbus, IN

$9.9 * 0.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 297% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,319 in Columbus, IN versus $737 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 696% higher in Columbus, IN, 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 $50.0 in Columbus, IN versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $331 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbus, IN

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

18:23 6:23 PM

11 h ahead of Columbus, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

905,748

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Columbus, IN Phuket 14,760 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbus, IN
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

Columbus, IN vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Columbus, IN costs about 72% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,120 per month in Columbus, IN and $1,813 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Columbus, IN and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Columbus, IN, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Columbus, IN at $2,080. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Columbus, IN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $2,080 in Columbus, IN. 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, Columbus, IN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.