Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,436 in Santa Marta, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Marta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Santa Marta
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Santa Marta Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,436

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Marta 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 Santa Marta and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,436 in Santa Marta versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Santa Marta $1,436
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,691 in Santa Marta versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Santa Marta $1,691
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,946 in Santa Marta versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Santa Marta $1,946
Phuket $2,867

Living in Santa Marta is roughly 19% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Marta is 6% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

Cappuccino

$3.85 COP 12.2K

$2.72 ฿91.0

41.54%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 COP 4,834

$1.74 ฿58.1

-12.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 COP 6,825

$1.43 ฿47.82

50.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 COP 3,737

$1.53 ฿51.0

-22.88%

Eggs

$2.55 COP 8,070

$2.17 ฿72.7

17.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.18 COP 25.9K

$19.15 ฿640

-57.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 COP 31.0K

$3.30 ฿110

196.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.43 COP 36.2K

$11.14 ฿372

2.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.95 ฿98.5

40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 COP 3,110

$1.68 ฿56.1

-41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 COP 3,553

$2.30 ฿76.8

-51.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,308

$2.13 ฿71.3

-6.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 COP 2,881

$1.53 ฿51.1

-40.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,888

$1.36 ฿45.55

13.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 COP 3,081

$1.12 ฿37.44

-13.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 COP 2,037

$0.55 ฿18.24

16.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 COP 13.0K

$4.26 ฿142

-3.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.44 COP 55.3K

$18.19 ฿608

-4.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 COP 4,566

$1.74 ฿58.2

-17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,507

$2.79 ฿93.3

-49.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 COP 3,086

$2.22 ฿74.1

-56.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 COP 10.2K

$2.91 ฿97.3

9.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,104

$1.49 ฿49.85

-13.42%

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

$24.0K COP 75.9M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-10.22%

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

$33.6K COP 106.6M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

25.87%

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

$154 COP 489.7K

$99.4 ฿3,321

55.42%

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

$9.26 COP 29.3K

$11.28 ฿377

-17.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.25 COP 70.6K

$17.36 ฿580

28.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.58 COP 100.1K

$52.3 ฿1,747

-39.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 COP 16.1K

$7.57 ฿253

-33.03%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K COP 34.1M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-6.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.9 COP 275.6K

$62.9 ฿2,102

38.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 COP 201.4K

$28.58 ฿955

122.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 COP 293.6K

$96.1 ฿3,213

-3.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 COP 279.6K

$88.1 ฿2,943

0.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 COP 3.5M

$729 ฿24.4K

49.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 COP 2.4M

$460 ฿15.4K

61.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-47.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 COP 2.0M

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-48.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-68.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 COP 3.9M

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-51.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 COP 1.7M

$493 ฿16.5K

8.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

5.57

250.81%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

$743 51.8%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 38.1% $283

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

$263 18.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 1.8% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

$186 13%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 31.2% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

$149 10.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 16.8% $25

Eating Out

Santa Marta

$46 * 3.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 162% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

$42 2.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 61.6% $26

Getting Around

Santa Marta

$7.1 * 0.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 448% $32

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 $1,088 in Santa Marta and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Marta pays 8% 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

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

14:28 2:28 PM

12 h ahead of Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

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 18, 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 18, 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

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

From you

Santa Marta
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

Santa Marta vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and utilities. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Santa Marta, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,088 in Santa Marta versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Santa Marta pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,436 per month in Santa Marta versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,436 in Santa Marta, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Santa Marta. 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 Santa Marta, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Santa Marta 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 19% less than in Santa Marta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.