Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Manizales

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.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Manizales
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Manizales Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Manizales

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,181

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Manizales

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

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

Phuket $1,278
Manizales $1,181

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

Phuket $2,216
Manizales $1,863

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

Phuket $3,154
Manizales $2,546

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.09 COP 22.9K

-36.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$42.81 COP 138.2K

-24.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.30 COP 33.3K

-14.47%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.75 COP 5,652

61.71%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.34 COP 4,324

-35.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.85 COP 2,739

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.78 COP 5,747

43.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.58 COP 8,331

42.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.76 COP 2,447

118.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.46 COP 7,942

-40.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.75 COP 5,654

-14.29%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.47 COP 11.2K

-39.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.35 COP 27.0K

128.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.17 COP 23.1K

-53.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.59 COP 31.0K

13.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.50 COP 11.3K

-16.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.85 COP 5,985

-8.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.02 COP 6,513

11.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.91 COP 6,165

8.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.49 COP 4,810

1.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.37 COP 4,412

0.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.30 COP 4,201

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.14 COP 3,687

-54.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.47 COP 14.4K

-6.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.78 COP 41.3K

47.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.47 COP 4,736

23.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-9.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.98 COP 3,169

47.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$55.6 COP 179.4K

1.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.59 COP 5,142

89.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.55 COP 5,007

-34.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.38 COP 30.3K

-60.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.30 COP 4,210

13.08%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$35.1K COP 113.4M

-23.78%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$34.8K COP 112.5M

-23.39%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$125 COP 403.1K

-22.82%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$12.18 COP 39.3K

-7.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$30.00 COP 96.9K

-43.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$32.62 COP 105.3K

106.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.71 COP 24.9K

-2.72%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$571 COP 1.8M

-16.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$7,683 COP 24.8M

46.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$85.7 COP 276.8K

-27.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$49.01 COP 158.2K

-42.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$146 COP 470.6K

-35.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$108 COP 348.2K

-20.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$392 COP 1.3M

82.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$336 COP 1.1M

45.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,092 COP 3.5M

76.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$690 COP 2.2M

107.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,494 COP 8.1M

67.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,803 COP 5.8M

68.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,206 COP 3.9M

-58.34%

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 Manizales: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Manizales

$336 28.5% 31.5% $155

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Manizales

$254 21.5% 4.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Manizales

$167 14.2% 34.2% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Manizales

$175 14.8% 43.4% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Manizales

$131 11.1% 8% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Manizales

$48 4.1% 41.6% $34

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Manizales

$69 5.8% 2.5% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇴 Manizales

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

07:13 7:13 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

458,442

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Manizales 18,420 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Manizales

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 Manizales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,771 in Manizales. 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 $1,278 in Phuket and $1,181 in Manizales. That makes Manizales about 8% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $571 in Manizales. 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 $1,278 in Phuket and $1,181 in Manizales, 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.