Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Buenaventura

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,444 in Buenaventura, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Buenaventura
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Buenaventura Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Buenaventura

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,444

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Buenaventura

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Buenaventura actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,444 in Buenaventura, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Buenaventura $1,444

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,086 in Buenaventura, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Buenaventura $2,086

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,727 in Buenaventura, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Buenaventura $2,727

Phuket is about 11% cheaper than Buenaventura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Buenaventura is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.39 COP 20.6K

-30.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$41.45 COP 133.7K

-21.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.45 COP 27.3K

4.26%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.69 COP 8,675

5.20%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.60 COP 5,158

-45.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.02 COP 3,293

-51.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$3.09 COP 9,986

-17.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.60 COP 11.6K

2.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.29 COP 4,176

28.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.66 COP 8,597

-45.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.66 COP 5,372

-9.64%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$3.33 COP 10.8K

-37.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$8.17 COP 26.4K

133.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.25 COP 29.9K

-64.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.09 COP 45.5K

-22.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$4.13 COP 13.3K

-29.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.68 COP 5,416

0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.89 COP 6,106

19.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.27 COP 7,316

-8.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.42 COP 4,591

6.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.30 COP 4,188

6.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.13 COP 3,653

-5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.99 COP 3,210

-47.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.03 COP 13.0K

4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$13.88 COP 44.8K

35.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.28 COP 4,141

42.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.54 COP 8,192

11.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.96 COP 3,100

51.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$75.7 COP 244.3K

-25.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.58 COP 5,099

91.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$2.04 COP 6,583

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$7.70 COP 24.8K

-52.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.29 COP 4,166

13.95%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$31.1K COP 100.2M

-13.79%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$39.2K COP 126.4M

-31.88%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$126 COP 405.3K

-23.29%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.02 COP 45.3K

-19.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$25.52 COP 82.3K

-33.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$32.63 COP 105.3K

106.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.50 COP 21.0K

15.38%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$606 COP 2.0M

-21.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$8,072 COP 26.0M

39.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$92.2 COP 297.6K

-32.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$56.1 COP 181.1K

-49.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$126 COP 407.0K

-25.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$94.1 COP 303.8K

-8.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$721 COP 2.3M

-0.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$549 COP 1.8M

-10.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,234 COP 4.0M

56.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$761 COP 2.5M

87.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$1,912 COP 6.2M

118.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,950 COP 6.3M

56.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-53.58%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Buenaventura: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Buenaventura

$549 38% 11.9% $58

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Buenaventura

$285 19.7% 7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Buenaventura

$165 11.4% 32.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Buenaventura

$166 11.5% 36.1% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Buenaventura

$142 9.8% 16.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Buenaventura

$46 3.2% 44.5% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Buenaventura

$91 6.3% 29.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $721 in Buenaventura. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $41 in Buenaventura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $285 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇴 Buenaventura

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

23:58 11:58 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

365,607

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Buenaventura 18,610 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Buenaventura

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

Phuket vs Buenaventura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,444 in Buenaventura – Phuket comes out roughly 11% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,166 in Buenaventura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $716 in Phuket and $721 in Buenaventura. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Buenaventura, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $41 in Buenaventura. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,444 in Buenaventura. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.