Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Santa Marta

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,447 in Santa Marta, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Marta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Santa Marta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,447 in Santa Marta.

Phuket $1,278
Santa Marta $1,447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,693 in Santa Marta.

Phuket $2,216
Santa Marta $1,693

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,939 in Santa Marta.

Phuket $3,154
Santa Marta $1,939

Living in Phuket costs roughly 12% less than in Santa Marta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Santa Marta is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.86 COP 12.5K

-26.68%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.59 COP 5,139

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.17 COP 6,992

-32.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.22 COP 3,924

22.95%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.46 COP 7,942

-15.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.39 COP 27.1K

127.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.57 COP 30.9K

-65.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.26 COP 36.4K

-3.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.13 COP 13.3K

-29.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.04 COP 3,359

62.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.11 COP 3,600

102.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.99 COP 6,433

4.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.93 COP 2,990

62.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.54 COP 4,972

-10.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.96 COP 3,085

11.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.62 COP 1,989

-16.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.13 COP 13.3K

1.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$17.52 COP 56.6K

7.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.45 COP 4,684

25.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.40 COP 4,533

102.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.96 COP 3,108

51.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.07 COP 9,921

-1.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.35 COP 4,352

8.89%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$23.6K COP 76.2M

13.46%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$34.2K COP 110.3M

-21.90%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$159 COP 512.4K

-39.28%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.23 COP 29.8K

21.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$21.79 COP 70.3K

-22.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$31.36 COP 101.2K

114.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.27 COP 17.0K

42.31%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$10.9K COP 35.1M

3.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$86.4 COP 279.0K

-27.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$62.8 COP 202.7K

-54.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$92.6 COP 299.0K

1.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$86.7 COP 279.8K

-0.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,096 COP 3.5M

-34.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$752 COP 2.4M

-34.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,095 COP 3.5M

76.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$620 COP 2.0M

130.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,110 COP 3.6M

276.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,191 COP 3.8M

155.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$526 COP 1.7M

-4.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

19.54

-71.49%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Santa Marta: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Santa Marta

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Santa Marta

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Santa Marta

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santa Marta

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Santa Marta

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Santa Marta

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Santa Marta

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,096 in Santa Marta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Marta pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

23:04 11:04 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

500,000

💱 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 = 2.77 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 = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Santa Marta 17,740 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Santa Marta

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 Santa Marta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in clothing and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% 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 $1,096 in Santa Marta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Santa Marta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.