Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Phangan: $1,018 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,018

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,018 in Koh Phangan versus $1,589 in Medellin.

Koh Phangan $1,018
Medellin $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,673 in Koh Phangan versus $2,364 in Medellin.

Koh Phangan $1,673
Medellin $2,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,328 in Koh Phangan versus $3,139 in Medellin.

Koh Phangan $2,328
Medellin $3,139

Living in Koh Phangan costs roughly 36% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koh Phangan is 24% below, Medellin is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 ฿136

$8.01 COP 25.5K

-49.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ฿985

$46.55 COP 148.3K

-36.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 ฿254

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-19.51%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ฿83.9

$2.91 COP 9,277

-14.09%

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

$0.81 ฿26.98

$1.75 COP 5,585

-53.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿14.95

$1.32 COP 4,218

-65.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 ฿77.1

$3.13 COP 9,969

-26.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 ฿114

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-38.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.3

$1.41 COP 4,495

12.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ฿45.67

$2.44 COP 7,777

-44.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.3

$1.63 COP 5,191

-7.98%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.7

$2.82 COP 8,990

-27.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.36 ฿615

$9.69 COP 30.9K

89.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ฿106

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-65.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.61 ฿355

$13.46 COP 42.9K

-21.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 ฿93.5

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-30.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.5

$1.48 COP 4,719

4.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.2

$2.12 COP 6,768

-0.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.4

$2.25 COP 7,178

-13.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.19

$1.91 COP 6,092

-24.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ฿41.80

$1.62 COP 5,160

-22.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿34.25

$1.15 COP 3,658

-11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.03

$1.26 COP 4,021

-61.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 ฿139

$3.82 COP 12.2K

8.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.24 ฿577

$13.11 COP 41.8K

31.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.60 COP 5,083

5.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ฿88.2

$2.26 COP 7,188

16.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 ฿66.9

$1.17 COP 3,731

70.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 ฿87.0

$1.27 COP 4,056

104.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 ฿31.06

$2.05 COP 6,531

-54.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 ฿113

$8.20 COP 26.1K

-58.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿43.02

$1.27 COP 4,046

1.57%

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

$24.1K ฿805.8K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

-10.11%

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

$24.1K ฿806.9K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-29.95%

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

$98.9 ฿3,310

$162 COP 516.9K

-39.05%

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

$11.05 ฿370

$13.12 COP 41.8K

-15.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.87 ฿565

$28.09 COP 89.5K

-39.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 ฿1,777

$44.33 COP 141.2K

19.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.77 ฿361

$16.33 COP 52.0K

-34.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 ฿252

$6.09 COP 19.4K

23.65%

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

$557 ฿18.7K

$764 COP 2.4M

-27.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿390.7K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

31.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.0 ฿2,142

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-24.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.52 ฿955

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-50.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 ฿3,209

$132 COP 419.8K

-27.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ฿2,910

$95.8 COP 305.1K

-9.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ฿17.2K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-50.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 ฿10.8K

$604 COP 1.9M

-46.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 ฿48.3K

$1,802 COP 5.7M

-19.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$843 ฿28.2K

$993 COP 3.2M

-15.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 ฿81.0K

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-38.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,779 ฿59.6K

$1,639 COP 5.2M

8.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$709 ฿23.7K

$626 COP 2.0M

13.18%

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 Phangan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$321 31.6%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 88.1% $283

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$253 24.9%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 14.1% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$127 12.5%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 60.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$124 12.2%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 34.4% $43

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$109 10.7%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 53.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 17.1% $12

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$15 * 1.5%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 499% $76

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 $513 in Koh Phangan and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Koh Phangan vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $288 per month, with Koh Phangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

07:15 7:15 AM

12 h behind Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koh Phangan Medellin 18,170 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Koh Phangan and Medellin differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($1,018 vs $1,589 including rent). Koh Phangan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Koh Phangan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $513 in Koh Phangan versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,018 per month in Koh Phangan versus $1,589 in Medellin – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,018 in Koh Phangan versus $1,589 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Phangan but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Phangan 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, Koh Phangan 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 Koh Phangan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.