Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,281 in Cartago, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,281

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartago 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 Cartago and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,281 per month in Cartago vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cartago $1,281
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,972 per month in Cartago vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cartago $1,972
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,663 per month in Cartago vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cartago $2,663
Chiang Mai $1,914

Cartago costs about 36% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cartago and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Cartago 5% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 COP 24.0K

$2.26 ฿75.4

235.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 COP 118.0K

$19.18 ฿641

93.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$5.59 ฿187

51.52%

Cappuccino

$1.54 COP 4,868

$1.72 ฿57.6

-10.47%

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

$1.28 COP 4,050

$0.64 ฿21.54

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 COP 2,626

$0.33 ฿11.18

151.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 COP 9,838

$2.36 ฿78.7

31.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 COP 11.6K

$3.90 ฿130

-6.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 COP 5,072

$2.05 ฿68.6

-21.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 COP 5,954

$1.40 ฿46.70

34.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,737

$1.28 ฿42.89

16.41%

Eggs

$2.93 COP 9,305

$2.25 ฿75.3

30.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 COP 20.9K

$16.94 ฿566

-61.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 COP 22.5K

$2.74 ฿91.6

159.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 COP 31.5K

$9.36 ฿313

6.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 COP 11.3K

$2.40 ฿80.3

48.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 COP 4,187

$1.01 ฿33.92

30.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,513

$1.61 ฿53.9

8.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,168

$1.52 ฿50.7

7.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 COP 4,508

$1.28 ฿42.90

10.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,743

$1.11 ฿37.22

35.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 COP 3,432

$0.72 ฿24.09

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 COP 3,250

$0.52 ฿17.54

98.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 COP 11.7K

$4.33 ฿145

-14.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.12 COP 41.6K

$17.73 ฿593

-26.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 COP 4,741

$1.63 ฿54.4

-7.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 COP 7,770

$2.85 ฿95.3

-14.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 COP 3,234

$0.85 ฿28.31

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 COP 2,516

$1.17 ฿39.18

-32.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 COP 7,207

$0.57 ฿19.00

298.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 COP 26.6K

$2.37 ฿79.2

254.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 COP 4,198

$1.45 ฿48.32

-8.97%

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

$28.0K COP 88.9M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

36.89%

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

$34.6K COP 109.9M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

30.67%

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

$110 COP 348.3K

$62.3 ฿2,083

76.22%

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

$13.23 COP 42.0K

$12.27 ฿410

7.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.26 COP 95.9K

$19.97 ฿668

51.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 COP 134.2K

$37.91 ฿1,267

11.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 COP 26.1K

$6.71 ฿224

22.80%

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

$701 COP 2.2M

$797 ฿26.6K

-12.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,430 COP 20.4M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-56.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 COP 246.6K

$53.3 ฿1,780

46.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 COP 174.8K

$25.05 ฿837

120.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 COP 401.8K

$91.6 ฿3,062

38.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 COP 350.6K

$73.5 ฿2,455

50.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 COP 2.0M

$464 ฿15.5K

38.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 COP 1.6M

$305 ฿10.2K

67.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 COP 3.3M

$915 ฿30.6K

13.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 COP 3.1M

$552 ฿18.5K

75.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,999 COP 6.3M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

4.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,803 COP 5.7M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

25.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

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 Cartago: 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

Cartago

$509 39.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 40.1% $204

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$241 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 1.2% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$167 13%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 34.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$153 12%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 38.3% $59

Eating Out

Cartago

$136 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 41.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$59 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 12.7% $7.5

Getting Around

Cartago

$16 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 278% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $645 in Cartago 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Cartago versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartago

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

18:36 6:36 PM

12 h ahead of Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,365

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 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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Between locations

Cartago Chiang Mai 17,340 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartago
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

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

Yes – Cartago is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,921 per month in Cartago 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 $1,281 in Cartago and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 36%.

Kindergarten costs $701 per month in Cartago 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 Cartago at $1,281. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cartago it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Cartago makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.