Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Rai and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Rai: $713 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Rai
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Chiang Rai Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Chiang Rai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$713

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Rai and in Medellin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $713 in Chiang Rai versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Chiang Rai $713
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,132 in Chiang Rai versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Chiang Rai $1,132
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,551 in Chiang Rai versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Chiang Rai $1,551
Medellin $3,199

Living in Chiang Rai costs roughly 56% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Rai is 47% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 ฿74.0

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-73.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.02 ฿502

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-67.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 ฿182

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-41.02%

Cappuccino

$1.31 ฿43.76

$3.05 COP 9,676

-57.05%

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

$0.62 ฿20.71

$1.80 COP 5,707

-65.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ฿8.96

$1.38 COP 4,382

-80.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 ฿121

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-34.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 ฿66.0

$1.50 COP 4,760

31.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.09

$2.37 COP 7,508

-40.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.25

$1.70 COP 5,377

-31.18%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿62.5

$2.96 COP 9,379

-36.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.72 ฿559

$10.22 COP 32.4K

63.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.73 ฿91.2

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-71.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.35 ฿312

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-32.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 ฿80.8

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-41.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 ฿28.67

$1.53 COP 4,839

-43.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

$2.22 COP 7,052

-31.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.87 ฿28.95

$2.27 COP 7,194

-61.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.27

$1.99 COP 6,311

-35.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 ฿35.97

$1.67 COP 5,285

-35.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.19

$1.18 COP 3,742

-38.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$1.24 COP 3,919

-58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ฿126

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-2.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.54 ฿586

$13.78 COP 43.7K

27.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 ฿53.0

$1.66 COP 5,256

-4.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$2.40 COP 7,615

19.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ฿27.77

$1.24 COP 3,944

-33.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.15 ฿740

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-71.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.43

$1.28 COP 4,044

-7.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.76

$2.15 COP 6,803

-73.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-71.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ฿45.62

$1.35 COP 4,288

1.48%

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

$20.9K ฿698.8K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-39.85%

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

$27.1K ฿906.6K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-21.79%

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

$61.5 ฿2,055

$167 COP 528.4K

-63.10%

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

$12.14 ฿406

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-10.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.57 ฿454

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-53.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.83 ฿1,197

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-20.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.80 ฿194

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-66.24%

Cinema Ticket

$2.89 ฿96.7

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-58.54%

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

$770 ฿25.7K

$790 COP 2.5M

-2.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ฿487.9K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

61.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ฿1,824

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-37.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.10 ฿839

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-56.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.9 ฿2,502

$139 COP 440.7K

-46.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.1 ฿2,444

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-26.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 ฿7,669

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-77.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ฿5,141

$620 COP 2.0M

-75.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$502 ฿16.8K

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-73.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ฿11.9K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-64.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 ฿63.8K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-52.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$955 ฿31.9K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-43.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ฿19.6K

$663 COP 2.1M

-11.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.94

-49.09%

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

Last update for Chiang Rai: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Rai

$230 32.2%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 29.8% $68

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Rai

$154 21.6%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 303% $466

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Rai

$102 14.4%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 68.6% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Rai

$87 12.2%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 140% $122

Eating Out

Chiang Rai

$69 9.6%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 149% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Rai

$42 5.8%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 41.8% $17

Getting Around

Chiang Rai

$29 4.1%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 223% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $229 in Chiang Rai and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $15.00 in Chiang Rai vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $298 per month, with Chiang Rai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Rai

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

23:31 11:31 PM

12 h behind Chiang Rai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,672

2,486,723

💱 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 25, 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 25, 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 Rai Medellin 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Rai
Medellin

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 Rai vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Rai and Medellin differ by about 128% in total monthly costs ($713 vs $1,625 including rent). Chiang Rai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Medellin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $229 in Chiang Rai versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $770 in Chiang Rai versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $713 in Chiang Rai versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Rai but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Rai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Chiang Rai and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Rai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 128% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.