Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Salento

For one person, living is cheaper in Salento: $797 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Salento
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Salento Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Salento

🇨🇴 Colombia

$797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Salento

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $797 in Salento.

Phuket $1,294
Salento $797

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,212 in Salento.

Phuket $2,204
Salento $1,212

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,627 in Salento.

Phuket $3,115
Salento $1,627

Living in Phuket is roughly 62% more expensive than in Salento, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Salento 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.85 COP 12.5K

14.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$23.41 COP 75.9K

38.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$7.45 COP 24.2K

16.78%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.56 COP 5,071

74.36%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$0.93 COP 3,013

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.57 COP 1,855

-12.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.14 COP 3,698

121.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.14 COP 6,952

69.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.11 COP 3,599

56.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.30 COP 4,231

11.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.14 COP 3,708

31.58%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.14 COP 6,946

1.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$4.56 COP 14.8K

318.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$5.43 COP 17.6K

-37.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$7.42 COP 24.1K

46.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.46 COP 7,992

19.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.09 COP 3,533

55.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.30 COP 4,228

68.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.11 COP 3,588

90.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.15 COP 3,731

26.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$1.13 COP 3,681

21.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.87 COP 2,830

24.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.65 COP 2,095

-15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.35 COP 7,621

88.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$9.34 COP 30.3K

95.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.08 COP 3,511

63.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.74 COP 5,630

65.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.69 COP 2,234

110.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$29.71 COP 96.4K

84.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.48 COP 4,802

2.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$1.70 COP 5,516

-54.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$6.08 COP 19.7K

-36.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$0.96 COP 3,098

55.21%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$17.7K COP 57.5M

51.56%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$25.0K COP 81.2M

5.18%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$83.6 COP 271.0K

17.05%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$8.89 COP 28.8K

27.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$22.56 COP 73.2K

-23.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$23.36 COP 75.8K

192.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$4.04 COP 13.1K

83.91%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$242 COP 786.0K

118.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$5,913 COP 19.2M

217.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$57.8 COP 187.5K

6.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$32.60 COP 105.7K

-13.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$84.6 COP 274.2K

13.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$73.7 COP 239.1K

17.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$274 COP 888.6K

163.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$234 COP 758.3K

117.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$525 COP 1.7M

271.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$418 COP 1.4M

234.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,417 COP 4.6M

195.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,069 COP 3.5M

208.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.06

-57.35%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Salento: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Salento

$234 29.3% 54.1% $275

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Salento

$175 21.9% 34.6% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Salento

$115 14.4% 8.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Salento

$112 14% 8.8% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Salento

$88 11% 26.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Salento

$31 4% 62.2% $52

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Salento

$42 5.3% 35.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $274 in Salento. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $23 in Salento for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $175 per month, with Salento cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇴 Salento

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

01:55 1:55 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,748

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Salento 18,470 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Salento

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 Salento: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salento is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,196 in Salento to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $274 in Salento. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $242 in Salento. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $797 in Salento versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Salento but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Salento the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Salento are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Salento gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.