Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manizales and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Manizales: $1,181 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Manizales
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Manizales Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Manizales

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,181

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,181 per month in Manizales vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Manizales $1,181
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,863 per month in Manizales vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Manizales $1,863
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,546 per month in Manizales vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Manizales $2,546
Phuket $3,154

Manizales is about 8% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Manizales and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Manizales 13% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.09 COP 22.9K

$4.47 ฿151

58.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.81 COP 138.2K

$32.41 ฿1,094

32.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.30 COP 33.3K

$8.81 ฿297

16.91%

Cappuccino

$1.75 COP 5,652

$2.83 ฿95.4

-38.16%

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

$1.34 COP 4,324

$0.87 ฿29.42

54.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 COP 2,739

$0.49 ฿16.66

73.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 COP 5,747

$2.56 ฿86.3

-30.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 COP 8,331

$3.68 ฿124

-29.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 COP 2,447

$1.66 ฿56.0

-54.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 COP 7,942

$1.46 ฿49.32

68.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 COP 5,654

$1.50 ฿50.5

16.67%

Eggs

$3.47 COP 11.2K

$2.09 ฿70.5

66.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.35 COP 27.0K

$19.07 ฿643

-56.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.17 COP 23.1K

$3.30 ฿111

117.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.59 COP 31.0K

$10.91 ฿368

-12.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 COP 11.3K

$2.93 ฿98.9

19.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 COP 5,985

$1.69 ฿57.0

9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 COP 6,513

$2.25 ฿75.8

-10.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,165

$2.08 ฿70.1

-8.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,810

$1.51 ฿51.0

-1.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,412

$1.38 ฿46.54

-0.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 COP 4,201

$1.07 ฿35.97

21.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 COP 3,687

$0.52 ฿17.51

119.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 COP 14.4K

$4.20 ฿142

6.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.78 COP 41.3K

$18.79 ฿634

-31.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 COP 4,736

$1.82 ฿61.5

-19.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.84 ฿95.9

10.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 COP 3,169

$1.45 ฿49.00

-32.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.6 COP 179.4K

$56.7 ฿1,912

-1.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 COP 5,142

$3.02 ฿102

-47.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 COP 5,007

$1.02 ฿34.34

51.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.38 COP 30.3K

$3.69 ฿125

154.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,210

$1.47 ฿49.78

-11.56%

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

$35.1K COP 113.4M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

31.21%

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

$34.8K COP 112.5M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

30.53%

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

$125 COP 403.1K

$96.4 ฿3,252

29.56%

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

$12.18 COP 39.3K

$11.26 ฿380

8.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.00 COP 96.9K

$16.85 ฿569

78.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.62 COP 105.3K

$67.2 ฿2,269

-51.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 COP 24.9K

$7.50 ฿253

2.80%

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

$571 COP 1.8M

$476 ฿16.1K

19.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,683 COP 24.8M

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-31.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.7 COP 276.8K

$62.4 ฿2,105

37.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.01 COP 158.2K

$28.41 ฿959

72.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$146 COP 470.6K

$94.3 ฿3,182

54.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 348.2K

$85.8 ฿2,896

25.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 COP 1.3M

$716 ฿24.2K

-45.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 COP 1.1M

$491 ฿16.6K

-31.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 COP 3.5M

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-43.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$690 COP 2.2M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-51.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 COP 8.1M

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-40.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,803 COP 5.8M

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-40.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,206 COP 3.9M

$502 ฿17.0K

140.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

115.44%

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

Last update for Manizales: 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

Manizales

$336 28.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 45.9% $155

Groceries & Markets

Manizales

$254 21.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 4.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Manizales

$175 14.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 30.2% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manizales

$167 14.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 25.5% $43

Eating Out

Manizales

$131 11.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 7.4% $9.8

Getting Around

Manizales

$69 5.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 2.5% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Manizales

$48 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 71.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $392 in Manizales versus $716 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 in Manizales are about 2.4 times higher, 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 $43 in Manizales versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $254 in Manizales vs $266 in Phuket – so Manizales wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Manizales

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

19:13 7:13 PM

12 h ahead of Manizales

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

458,442

79,308

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Manizales Phuket 18,420 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Manizales
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

Manizales vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,181 in Manizales, $1,278 in Phuket – Manizales comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,771 per month in Manizales and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manizales, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,181 in Manizales and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Manizales about 8% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $571 per month in Manizales and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,181 in Manizales and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Manizales costs $1,181 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.