Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pasto

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasto: $800 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Pasto
Learn more

Pasto Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Pasto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $800 in Pasto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Pasto $800

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,216 in Pasto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Pasto $1,216

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,632 in Pasto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Pasto $1,632

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Pasto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Pasto are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Pasto 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$3.92 COP 12.7K

-45.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$23.47 COP 76.1K

-20.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$7.35 COP 23.8K

-23.81%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.51 COP 4,909

9.93%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.89 COP 2,876

-26.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.61 COP 1,984

-50.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.16 COP 3,748

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.17 COP 7,025

69.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.05 COP 3,402

92.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.30 COP 4,204

8.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$1.19 COP 3,871

16.81%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.15 COP 6,959

10.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$4.59 COP 14.9K

259.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$5.44 COP 17.6K

-50.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$7.44 COP 24.1K

21.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.47 COP 8,025

-2.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.09 COP 3,521

-4.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.31 COP 4,235

26.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.11 COP 3,603

40.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$1.17 COP 3,801

5.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$1.16 COP 3,767

-6.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.88 COP 2,858

-13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.70 COP 2,261

-27.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.34 COP 7,577

76.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$9.77 COP 31.7K

83.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.08 COP 3,519

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.70 COP 5,511

65.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.72 COP 2,330

29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$29.47 COP 95.6K

79.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.43 COP 4,650

-17.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.71 COP 5,549

-90.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$6.01 COP 19.5K

-69.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.01 COP 3,275

45.54%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$18.2K COP 58.9M

15.64%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$25.8K COP 83.5M

2.96%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$82.5 COP 267.4K

-24.13%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$8.84 COP 28.7K

31.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$22.93 COP 74.4K

-11.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$23.51 COP 76.3K

61.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$3.92 COP 12.7K

66.07%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$239 COP 776.7K

203.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$5,979 COP 19.4M

177.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$60.1 COP 194.8K

-10.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$32.73 COP 106.2K

-24.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$81.9 COP 265.5K

10.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$71.4 COP 231.6K

0.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$272 COP 880.9K

77.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$238 COP 772.9K

30.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$535 COP 1.7M

97.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$424 COP 1.4M

55.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$1,447 COP 4.7M

67.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,087 COP 3.5M

48.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.06

-57.35%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Pasto: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Pasto

$238 29.8% 23.1% $72

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Pasto

$176 22% 25.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Pasto

$111 13.8% 2.2% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Pasto

$114 14.3% 20.9% $20

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Pasto

$88 11% 14.5% $11

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Pasto

$42 5.3% 27.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Pasto

$31 3.9% 38.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $272 in Pasto. 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 in Chiang Mai versus $23 in Pasto. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $176 in Pasto – so Pasto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇴 Pasto

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

04:23 4:23 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

392,930

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Pasto 17,750 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pasto

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 Pasto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Pasto, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,201 in Pasto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pasto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $272 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $239 in Pasto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $800 in Pasto, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.