Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cucuta and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,335 in Cucuta, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Cucuta
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Cucuta Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Cucuta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,335

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,335 per month in Cucuta vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cucuta $1,335
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,003 per month in Cucuta vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cucuta $2,003
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,670 per month in Cucuta vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cucuta $2,670
Chiang Mai $1,914

Cucuta costs about 42% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cucuta and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Cucuta 1% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.44 COP 23.6K

$2.26 ฿75.4

229.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.54 COP 153.9K

$19.18 ฿641

153.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 COP 29.1K

$5.59 ฿187

63.86%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,235

$1.72 ฿57.6

69.19%

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

$1.43 COP 4,544

$0.64 ฿21.54

123.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 COP 3,420

$0.33 ฿11.18

227.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 COP 9,785

$2.36 ฿78.7

30.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 COP 11.7K

$3.90 ฿130

-5.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 COP 5,112

$2.05 ฿68.6

-21.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 COP 7,844

$1.40 ฿46.70

76.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,893

$1.28 ฿42.89

20.31%

Eggs

$2.99 COP 9,488

$2.25 ฿75.3

32.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 COP 28.5K

$16.94 ฿566

-46.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 COP 27.2K

$2.74 ฿91.6

213.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.41 COP 36.2K

$9.36 ฿313

21.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 COP 11.2K

$2.40 ฿80.3

47.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,061

$1.01 ฿33.92

58.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 COP 6,574

$1.61 ฿53.9

28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,139

$1.52 ฿50.7

27.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 COP 4,071

$1.28 ฿42.90

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 COP 4,149

$1.11 ฿37.22

18.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 COP 3,497

$0.72 ฿24.09

52.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 COP 3,221

$0.52 ฿17.54

96.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 COP 13.8K

$4.33 ฿145

0.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 COP 46.7K

$17.73 ฿593

-16.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 COP 5,217

$1.63 ฿54.4

1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 COP 7,271

$2.85 ฿95.3

-19.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 COP 3,783

$0.85 ฿28.31

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 COP 4,830

$1.17 ฿39.18

29.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 COP 6,624

$0.57 ฿19.00

266.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.90 COP 31.4K

$2.37 ฿79.2

317.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,055

$1.45 ฿48.32

-11.72%

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

$28.7K COP 90.9M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

39.97%

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

$40.2K COP 127.6M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

51.78%

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

$126 COP 397.9K

$62.3 ฿2,083

101.35%

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

$13.88 COP 44.0K

$12.27 ฿410

13.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.14 COP 92.4K

$19.97 ฿668

45.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.45 COP 106.1K

$37.91 ฿1,267

-11.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.95 COP 22.0K

$6.71 ฿224

3.58%

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

$647 COP 2.1M

$797 ฿26.6K

-18.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,396 COP 20.3M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-56.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 273.8K

$53.3 ฿1,780

62.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.97 COP 158.4K

$25.05 ฿837

99.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$154 COP 489.8K

$91.6 ฿3,062

68.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 323.2K

$73.5 ฿2,455

38.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 COP 2.0M

$464 ฿15.5K

38.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 COP 1.6M

$305 ฿10.2K

63.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 COP 3.2M

$915 ฿30.6K

11.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$792 COP 2.5M

$552 ฿18.5K

43.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,980 COP 6.3M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

3.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,498 COP 4.7M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

4.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$565 COP 1.8M

$595 ฿19.9K

-5.13%

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 Cucuta: 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

Cucuta

$497 37.2%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 38.7% $192

Groceries & Markets

Cucuta

$274 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 13.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Cucuta

$177 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 38% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cucuta

$169 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 43.9% $74

Eating Out

Cucuta

$155 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 49% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Cucuta

$47 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 8.4% $4

Getting Around

Cucuta

$17 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 266% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $643 in Cucuta 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.

Salaries run about 5% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Cucuta versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cucuta

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

05:09 5:09 AM

12 h ahead of Cucuta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

777,106

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 17, 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 17, 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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Highest

Between locations

Cucuta Chiang Mai 16,900 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Cucuta
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

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

Cucuta costs about 42% 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 $2,003 per month in Cucuta 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Cucuta and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Cucuta, 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 Cucuta at $1,335. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cucuta it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,335 in Cucuta. 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, Cucuta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.