Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Lipe and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $2,098 in Koh Lipe, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Koh Lipe outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Koh Lipe
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Koh Lipe Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Koh Lipe

🇹🇭 Thailand

$2,098

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Lipe 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 Koh Lipe and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,098 in Koh Lipe versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Koh Lipe $2,098
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,592 in Koh Lipe versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Koh Lipe $3,592
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,086 in Koh Lipe versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Koh Lipe $5,086
Medellin $3,199

Living in Koh Lipe is roughly 29% more expensive than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Koh Lipe 55% above, Medellin 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.97 ฿233

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-16.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 ฿1,748

$46.91 COP 148.7K

11.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.86 ฿463

$9.24 COP 29.3K

50.00%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ฿152

$3.05 COP 9,676

48.85%

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

$1.51 ฿50.5

$1.80 COP 5,707

-16.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ฿24.70

$1.38 COP 4,382

-46.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.97 ฿133

$3.24 COP 10.3K

22.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.11 ฿204

$5.56 COP 17.6K

9.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ฿71.6

$1.50 COP 4,760

42.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$2.37 COP 7,508

-25.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 ฿63.0

$1.70 COP 5,377

10.59%

Eggs

$2.73 ฿91.4

$2.96 COP 9,379

-7.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.27 ฿811

$10.22 COP 32.4K

137.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 ฿139

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-57.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 ฿467

$13.90 COP 44.1K

0.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 ฿125

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-9.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.1

$1.53 COP 4,839

37.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.22 COP 7,052

25.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 ฿87.5

$2.27 COP 7,194

15.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 ฿61.1

$1.99 COP 6,311

-8.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 ฿55.9

$1.67 COP 5,285

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ฿46.28

$1.18 COP 3,742

16.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ฿22.89

$1.24 COP 3,919

-45.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 ฿185

$3.87 COP 12.3K

42.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.90 ฿765

$13.78 COP 43.7K

66.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.66 COP 5,256

31.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿120

$2.40 COP 7,615

49.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.44 ฿115

$1.24 COP 3,944

177.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ฿149

$1.28 COP 4,044

248.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 ฿53.1

$2.15 COP 6,803

-26.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.83 ฿195

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-30.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 ฿74.0

$1.35 COP 4,288

63.70%

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

$40.4K ฿1.3M

$34.8K COP 110.2M

16.09%

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

$40.0K ฿1.3M

$34.7K COP 110.0M

15.44%

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

$113 ฿3,773

$167 COP 528.4K

-32.26%

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

$12.73 ฿425

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-6.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.03 ฿669

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-31.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.6 ฿2,225

$45.09 COP 143.0K

47.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.60 ฿454

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-20.84%

Cinema Ticket

$9.45 ฿316

$6.97 COP 22.1K

35.58%

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

$696 ฿23.3K

$790 COP 2.5M

-11.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ฿483.5K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

60.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.4 ฿2,253

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-23.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.63 ฿990

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-49.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 ฿3,424

$139 COP 440.7K

-26.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 ฿3,090

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-6.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 ฿61.3K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

78.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 ฿39.5K

$620 COP 2.0M

90.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,300 ฿177.1K

$1,881 COP 6.0M

181.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,000 ฿100.3K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

197.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,628 ฿288.3K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

116.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,214 ฿207.7K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

265.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

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 Koh Lipe: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Lipe

$1.2K 56.3%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 47.6% $562

Groceries & Markets

Koh Lipe

$335 16%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 11.2% $37

Eating Out

Koh Lipe

$193 9.2%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 11.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Lipe

$146 6.9%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 43.8% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Lipe

$131 6.3%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 31.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Lipe

$85 4.1%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 30.9% $26

Getting Around

Koh Lipe

$26 * 1.3%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 264% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,835 in Koh Lipe and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52.0 in Koh Lipe vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $298 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Lipe

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

13:30 1:30 PM

12 h behind Koh Lipe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

800

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Koh Lipe Medellin 18,490 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Koh Lipe
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

Koh Lipe vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Koh Lipe. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,147 in Koh Lipe and $2,437 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,835 in Koh Lipe versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $696 in Koh Lipe versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $52.0 in Koh Lipe. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,625 in Medellin versus $2,098 in Koh Lipe, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Koh Lipe. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,625 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Koh Lipe 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 Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Koh Lipe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.