Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Leticia

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,376 in Leticia, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Leticia
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Leticia Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Leticia

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,376

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,376 in Leticia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Leticia $1,376

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,110 in Leticia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Leticia $2,110

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,844 in Leticia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Leticia $2,844

Chiang Mai is about 32% cheaper than Leticia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Leticia is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$8.46 COP 26.8K

-73.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$37.96 COP 120.3K

-49.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$9.20 COP 29.2K

-39.24%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.22 COP 7,037

-22.52%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.53 COP 4,864

-58.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.86 COP 2,712

-61.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$3.59 COP 11.4K

-34.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.21 COP 10.2K

21.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.60 COP 5,072

28.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$2.56 COP 8,103

-45.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.80 COP 5,720

-28.89%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$3.06 COP 9,695

-26.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$9.01 COP 28.6K

88.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$10.77 COP 34.2K

-74.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$11.71 COP 37.1K

-20.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.28 COP 10.4K

-26.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.37 COP 4,334

-26.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.88 COP 5,961

-14.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.78 COP 5,657

-14.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.35 COP 4,291

-5.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.51 COP 4,775

-26.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.13 COP 3,576

-36.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.08 COP 3,430

-51.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.51 COP 11.1K

23.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$13.54 COP 42.9K

30.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.30 COP 4,117

25.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.41 COP 7,641

18.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.98 COP 3,092

-13.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.52 COP 4,814

-23.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.86 COP 5,891

-69.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$8.41 COP 26.7K

-71.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.36 COP 4,318

6.62%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$23.9K COP 75.7M

-14.23%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$37.6K COP 119.2M

-29.48%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$112 COP 354.1K

-44.19%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$14.80 COP 46.9K

-17.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$31.90 COP 101.1K

-37.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$39.84 COP 126.3K

-4.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$5.73 COP 18.2K

17.10%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$579 COP 1.8M

37.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$7,257 COP 23.0M

104.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$87.0 COP 276.0K

-38.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$62.2 COP 197.2K

-59.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$143 COP 454.3K

-36.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$115 COP 364.6K

-36.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$619 COP 2.0M

-25.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$531 COP 1.7M

-42.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$908 COP 2.9M

0.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$986 COP 3.1M

-43.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,225 COP 7.1M

-14.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,737 COP 5.5M

-17.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.58

-51.90%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Leticia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Leticia

$531 38.6% 74.3% $226

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Leticia

$281 20.4% 18.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Leticia

$183 13.3% 67.4% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Leticia

$158 11.5% 67.5% $64

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Leticia

$156 11.3% 97.2% $77

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Leticia

$15 * 1.1% 76% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Leticia

$51 3.7% 0.1% $0.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $619 in Leticia. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $38.00 in Leticia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $281 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇴 Leticia

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

18:00 6:00 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

66,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Leticia 18,000 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Leticia

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

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

Leticia costs about 47% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,064 in Leticia. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $38.00 in Leticia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Leticia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Leticia at $1,376. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leticia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,376 in Leticia. 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, Leticia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.