Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Popayan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,340 in Popayan, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Popayan
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Popayan Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Popayan

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,340

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Popayan and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Popayan versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Popayan $1,340
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,023 in Popayan versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Popayan $2,023
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,706 in Popayan versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Popayan $2,706
Phuket $2,867

Living in Popayan is roughly 11% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Popayan 1% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.55 COP 20.8K

$4.58 ฿153

43.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.13 COP 143.1K

$32.48 ฿1,086

38.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.71 COP 27.6K

$8.55 ฿286

1.87%

Cappuccino

$2.80 COP 8,877

$2.72 ฿91.0

2.94%

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

$1.20 COP 3,793

$0.94 ฿31.25

27.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 COP 3,234

$0.49 ฿16.39

108.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 COP 10.9K

$2.59 ฿86.6

33.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 COP 12.8K

$3.83 ฿128

4.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 COP 5,224

$1.74 ฿58.1

-5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 COP 7,898

$1.43 ฿47.82

74.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,338

$1.53 ฿51.0

9.80%

Eggs

$3.13 COP 9,927

$2.17 ฿72.7

44.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 COP 22.0K

$19.15 ฿640

-63.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.05 COP 35.0K

$3.30 ฿110

234.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 COP 32.9K

$11.14 ฿372

-6.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 COP 11.1K

$2.95 ฿98.5

18.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,209

$1.68 ฿56.1

-2.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 COP 5,805

$2.30 ฿76.8

-20.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,031

$2.13 ฿71.3

-25.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 COP 4,232

$1.53 ฿51.1

-13.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,714

$1.36 ฿45.55

9.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,572

$1.12 ฿37.44

0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 COP 3,183

$0.55 ฿18.24

81.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 COP 12.1K

$4.26 ฿142

-10.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 COP 37.6K

$18.19 ฿608

-34.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,485

$1.74 ฿58.2

-18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 COP 8,304

$2.79 ฿93.3

-6.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 COP 3,332

$2.22 ฿74.1

-52.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.71 COP 5,413

$2.91 ฿97.3

-41.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.01 ฿33.79

124.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 COP 29.4K

$3.83 ฿128

141.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,091

$1.49 ฿49.85

-13.42%

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

$25.7K COP 81.4M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-3.73%

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

$35.5K COP 112.5M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

32.89%

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

$136 COP 431.3K

$99.4 ฿3,321

36.90%

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

$11.34 COP 35.9K

$11.28 ฿377

0.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 COP 84.9K

$17.36 ฿580

54.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.41 COP 109.1K

$52.3 ฿1,747

-34.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$5.91 COP 18.8K

$7.57 ฿253

-21.93%

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

$539 COP 1.7M

$558 ฿18.7K

-3.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,384 COP 23.4M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-35.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 COP 250.1K

$62.9 ฿2,102

25.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.9 COP 189.8K

$28.58 ฿955

109.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 COP 414.9K

$96.1 ฿3,213

36.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 COP 363.3K

$88.1 ฿2,943

30.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$554 COP 1.8M

$729 ฿24.4K

-24.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 COP 1.6M

$460 ฿15.4K

11.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 COP 2.9M

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-56.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 COP 2.8M

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-28.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,101 COP 6.7M

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-39.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,896 COP 6.0M

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-23.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

5.57

107.90%

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

Last update for Popayan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Popayan

$513 38.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 10.3% $53

Groceries & Markets

Popayan

$270 20.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 0.9% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Popayan

$174 13%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 26.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Popayan

$173 12.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 28.2% $49

Eating Out

Popayan

$146 10.9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 17.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Popayan

$46 3.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 45.8% $21

Getting Around

Popayan

$17 * 1.3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 125% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $554 in Popayan and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Popayan vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $270 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Popayan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

09:39 9:39 AM

12 h ahead of Popayan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

318,059

79,308

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Popayan Phuket 18,740 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Popayan
Phuket

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

Popayan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,009 in Popayan and $1,811 in Phuket 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: $554 in Popayan versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $539 in Popayan versus $558 in Phuket. 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 $32.00 versus $45.00 in Popayan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,340 in Popayan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Popayan. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Popayan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Popayan and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Popayan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.