Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,241 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $440 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cali

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 Cali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,241 in Cali.

Phuket $1,278
Cali $1,241

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,856 in Cali.

Phuket $2,216
Cali $1,856

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,470 in Cali.

Phuket $3,154
Cali $2,470

Living in Phuket is roughly 3% more expensive than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Cali 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.33 COP 17.2K

-16.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$57.5 COP 185.3K

-43.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.19 COP 20.0K

42.33%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-11.01%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.37 COP 7,632

-63.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.20 COP 7,105

-77.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.47 COP 11.2K

-26.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.68 COP 11.9K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.67 COP 5,387

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.82 COP 5,879

-19.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.67 COP 5,396

-10.18%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.08 COP 9,939

-32.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.78 COP 28.3K

117.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.45 COP 30.5K

-65.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.89 COP 35.1K

0.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.89 COP 12.6K

-24.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.21 COP 3,888

39.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.35 COP 4,363

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.09 COP 6,730

-0.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.69 COP 5,460

-10.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.62 COP 5,218

-14.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.02 COP 3,276

4.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.85 COP 2,749

-38.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.54 COP 14.6K

-7.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$17.12 COP 55.2K

9.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.58 COP 5,084

15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.97 COP 6,345

44.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.13 COP 3,638

28.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$67.3 COP 217.1K

-15.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.19 COP 3,826

153.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.57 COP 1,846

78.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.39 COP 10.9K

8.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.35 COP 4,364

8.89%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$34.7K COP 112.0M

-22.94%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$34.4K COP 110.9M

-22.39%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$102 COP 327.7K

-5.20%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.18 COP 48.9K

-25.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$27.67 COP 89.2K

-39.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$31.03 COP 100.0K

116.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.43 COP 33.6K

2.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.11 COP 16.5K

46.77%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$404 COP 1.3M

17.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$11.5K COP 37.2M

-2.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$83.3 COP 268.5K

-25.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$43.25 COP 139.5K

-34.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$116 COP 374.0K

-18.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$100 COP 322.7K

-14.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$713 COP 2.3M

0.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$412 COP 1.3M

19.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,466 COP 4.7M

31.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$542 COP 1.7M

164.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,750 COP 5.6M

138.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,488 COP 4.8M

104.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$589 COP 1.9M

-14.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.88

-59.87%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cali: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cali

$412 33.2% 16.1% $79

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cali

$271 21.9% 2% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cali

$144 11.6% 16.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cali

$154 12.4% 26.5% $32

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cali

$142 11.5% 17% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cali

$41 3.3% 49.8% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cali

$76 6.1% 7.5% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $713 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cali pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $57 in Cali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $271 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

18:22 6:22 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,568,609

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Cali 18,630 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cali

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 Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $713 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $404 in Cali. 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 $57 in Cali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Cali gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.