Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Salento

For one person, living is cheaper in Salento: $797 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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 Salento
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Salento Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Salento

🇨🇴 Colombia

$797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $797 in Salento, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Salento $797

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,212 in Salento, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Salento $1,212

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,627 in Salento, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Salento $1,627

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$3.85 COP 12.4K

-44.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$23.41 COP 75.6K

-20.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$7.45 COP 24.1K

-24.83%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.56 COP 5,048

6.41%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$0.93 COP 2,999

-30.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.57 COP 1,846

-47.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$1.14 COP 3,681

103.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.14 COP 6,920

71.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.11 COP 3,582

81.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.30 COP 4,212

8.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$1.14 COP 3,691

21.93%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.14 COP 6,914

10.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$4.56 COP 14.7K

262.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$5.43 COP 17.5K

-50.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$7.42 COP 24.0K

21.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.46 COP 7,956

-2.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$1.09 COP 3,517

-4.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.30 COP 4,209

27.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.11 COP 3,571

40.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$1.15 COP 3,714

7.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$1.13 COP 3,664

-3.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.87 COP 2,817

-12.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.65 COP 2,086

-21.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.35 COP 7,586

75.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$9.34 COP 30.2K

91.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.08 COP 3,495

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.74 COP 5,604

62.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.69 COP 2,223

34.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

$29.71 COP 95.9K

78.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$1.48 COP 4,780

-20.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$1.70 COP 5,491

-90.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$6.08 COP 19.6K

-70.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$0.96 COP 3,084

53.13%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$17.7K COP 57.3M

18.47%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$25.0K COP 80.9M

5.86%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$83.6 COP 269.8K

-25.13%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$8.89 COP 28.7K

30.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$22.56 COP 72.8K

-10.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$23.36 COP 75.4K

62.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$4.04 COP 13.0K

61.14%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$242 COP 782.4K

200.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$5,913 COP 19.1M

180.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$57.8 COP 186.7K

-7.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$32.60 COP 105.2K

-23.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$84.6 COP 273.0K

6.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$73.7 COP 238.0K

-2.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$274 COP 884.6K

75.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$234 COP 754.8K

32.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$525 COP 1.7M

101.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$418 COP 1.3M

57.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$1,417 COP 4.6M

70.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,069 COP 3.5M

50.54%

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 Salento: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Salento

$234 29.3% 24.6% $76

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Salento

$175 21.9% 26.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Salento

$112 14% 3.3% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Salento

$115 14.4% 21.7% $21

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Salento

$88 11% 14.8% $11

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Salento

$42 5.3% 27.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Salento

$31 4% 38.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $274 in Salento. 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 Salento. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $175 in Salento – so Salento wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇴 Salento

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

02:36 2:36 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

9,748

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.83 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Salento

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 Salento: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Salento, 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 $1,196 in Salento. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salento, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $274 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $242 in Salento. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% 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 $797 in Salento, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Salento – 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.