Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barranquilla and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,473 in Barranquilla, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Barranquilla
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Barranquilla Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Barranquilla

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,473

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barranquilla and in Chiang Mai

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

A single person spends $1,473 per month in Barranquilla vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Barranquilla $1,473
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,280 per month in Barranquilla vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Barranquilla $2,280
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,087 per month in Barranquilla vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Barranquilla $3,087
Chiang Mai $1,914

Barranquilla costs about 57% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Barranquilla sits 9% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.26 COP 29.4K

$2.26 ฿75.4

309.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 COP 198.5K

$19.18 ฿641

226.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.02 COP 44.5K

$5.59 ฿187

150.81%

Cappuccino

$2.73 COP 8,664

$1.72 ฿57.6

58.72%

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

$1.33 COP 4,230

$0.64 ฿21.54

107.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 COP 4,016

$0.33 ฿11.18

284.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 COP 10.1K

$2.36 ฿78.7

35.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.63 COP 24.2K

$3.90 ฿130

95.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 COP 2,897

$2.05 ฿68.6

-55.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 COP 3,866

$1.40 ฿46.70

-12.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 COP 4,823

$1.28 ฿42.89

18.75%

Eggs

$2.16 COP 6,836

$2.25 ฿75.3

-4.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 COP 16.2K

$16.94 ฿566

-69.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.67 COP 56.0K

$2.74 ฿91.6

544.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.79 COP 21.5K

$9.36 ฿313

-27.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 COP 6,823

$2.40 ฿80.3

-10.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 COP 3,031

$1.01 ฿33.92

-4.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.65 COP 2,047

$1.61 ฿53.9

-59.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 COP 5,804

$1.52 ฿50.7

20.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 COP 3,931

$1.28 ฿42.90

-3.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 COP 3,055

$1.11 ฿37.22

-13.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 COP 3,911

$0.72 ฿24.09

70.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 COP 3,052

$0.52 ฿17.54

84.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 COP 16.3K

$4.33 ฿145

18.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.50 COP 39.6K

$17.73 ฿593

-29.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 COP 4,855

$1.63 ฿54.4

-6.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 COP 15.1K

$2.85 ฿95.3

67.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,753

$0.85 ฿28.31

38.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 COP 10.9K

$1.17 ฿39.18

192.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 COP 9,743

$0.57 ฿19.00

438.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.45 COP 49.0K

$2.37 ฿79.2

551.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 COP 4,178

$1.45 ฿48.32

-8.97%

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

$22.3K COP 70.8M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

9.12%

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

$29.3K COP 93.0M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

10.57%

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

$149 COP 473.8K

$62.3 ฿2,083

139.77%

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

$14.84 COP 47.0K

$12.27 ฿410

20.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.41 COP 102.8K

$19.97 ฿668

62.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.30 COP 108.8K

$37.91 ฿1,267

-9.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 COP 14.5K

$6.71 ฿224

-31.89%

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

$317 COP 1.0M

$797 ฿26.6K

-60.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,749 COP 15.1M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-67.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 COP 362.0K

$53.3 ฿1,780

114.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.68 COP 151.2K

$25.05 ฿837

90.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$189 COP 600.2K

$91.6 ฿3,062

106.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$252 COP 797.8K

$73.5 ฿2,455

242.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 COP 2.5M

$464 ฿15.5K

67.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 COP 1.6M

$305 ฿10.2K

62.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 COP 2.5M

$915 ฿30.6K

-12.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$878 COP 2.8M

$552 ฿18.5K

59.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,843 COP 5.8M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-3.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$641 COP 2.0M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-55.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$506 COP 1.6M

$595 ฿19.9K

-14.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

79.53%

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

Last update for Barranquilla: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barranquilla

$495 33.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 38.4% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Barranquilla

$271 18.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 59.6% $162

Groceries & Markets

Barranquilla

$253 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 5.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barranquilla

$197 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 51.9% $102

Eating Out

Barranquilla

$191 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 58.5% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Barranquilla

$43 3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 18.2% $7.9

Getting Around

Barranquilla

$24 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 161% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $777 in Barranquilla versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 18% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $63.0 in Barranquilla versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Barranquilla

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

04:58 4:58 AM

12 h ahead of Barranquilla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,327,209

127,240

💱 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

Barranquilla Chiang Mai 16,630 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Barranquilla
Chiang Mai

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

Barranquilla vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barranquilla costs about 57% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,209 per month in Barranquilla and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,473 in Barranquilla and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 57%.

Kindergarten costs $317 per month in Barranquilla and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Barranquilla at $1,473. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barranquilla it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,473 in Barranquilla. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barranquilla makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.