Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leticia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,376 in Leticia, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Leticia
Learn more

Leticia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Leticia

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,376

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,376 per month in Leticia vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Leticia $1,376
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,110 per month in Leticia vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Leticia $2,110
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,844 per month in Leticia vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Leticia $2,844
Chiang Mai $1,914

Leticia costs about 47% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Leticia sits 2% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 COP 26.8K

$2.26 ฿75.4

274.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.96 COP 120.3K

$19.18 ฿641

97.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 COP 29.2K

$5.59 ฿187

64.58%

Cappuccino

$2.22 COP 7,037

$1.72 ฿57.6

29.07%

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

$1.53 COP 4,864

$0.64 ฿21.54

139.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 COP 2,712

$0.33 ฿11.18

160.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.59 COP 11.4K

$2.36 ฿78.7

52.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 COP 10.2K

$3.90 ฿130

-17.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 COP 5,072

$2.05 ฿68.6

-21.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 COP 8,103

$1.40 ฿46.70

82.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 COP 5,720

$1.28 ฿42.89

40.63%

Eggs

$3.06 COP 9,695

$2.25 ฿75.3

36.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.01 COP 28.6K

$16.94 ฿566

-46.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.77 COP 34.2K

$2.74 ฿91.6

293.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.71 COP 37.1K

$9.36 ฿313

25.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 COP 10.4K

$2.40 ฿80.3

36.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,334

$1.01 ฿33.92

35.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 COP 5,961

$1.61 ฿53.9

16.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 COP 5,657

$1.52 ฿50.7

17.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 COP 4,291

$1.28 ฿42.90

5.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 COP 4,775

$1.11 ฿37.22

36.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,576

$0.72 ฿24.09

56.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 COP 3,430

$0.52 ฿17.54

107.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 COP 11.1K

$4.33 ฿145

-18.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 COP 42.9K

$17.73 ฿593

-23.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 COP 4,117

$1.63 ฿54.4

-20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 COP 7,641

$2.85 ฿95.3

-15.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 COP 3,092

$0.85 ฿28.31

15.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 COP 4,814

$1.17 ฿39.18

29.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 COP 5,891

$0.57 ฿19.00

226.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.41 COP 26.7K

$2.37 ฿79.2

254.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 COP 4,318

$1.45 ฿48.32

-6.21%

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

$23.9K COP 75.7M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

16.59%

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

$37.6K COP 119.2M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

41.81%

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

$112 COP 354.1K

$62.3 ฿2,083

79.19%

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

$14.80 COP 46.9K

$12.27 ฿410

20.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.90 COP 101.1K

$19.97 ฿668

59.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.84 COP 126.3K

$37.91 ฿1,267

5.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$5.73 COP 18.2K

$6.71 ฿224

-14.61%

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

$579 COP 1.8M

$797 ฿26.6K

-27.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,257 COP 23.0M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-51.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 COP 276.0K

$53.3 ฿1,780

63.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 COP 197.2K

$25.05 ฿837

148.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 COP 454.3K

$91.6 ฿3,062

56.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 COP 364.6K

$73.5 ฿2,455

56.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 COP 2.0M

$464 ฿15.5K

33.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$531 COP 1.7M

$305 ฿10.2K

74.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 COP 2.9M

$915 ฿30.6K

-0.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 COP 3.1M

$552 ฿18.5K

78.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,225 COP 7.1M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

16.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,737 COP 5.5M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

20.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

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 Leticia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leticia

$531 38.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 42.6% $226

Groceries & Markets

Leticia

$281 20.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 15.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Leticia

$183 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 40.3% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leticia

$158 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 40.3% $64

Eating Out

Leticia

$156 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 49.3% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Leticia

$51 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Leticia

$15 * 1.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 317% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $619 in Leticia 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Leticia versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Leticia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:25 6:25 PM

06:25 6:25 AM

12 h ahead of Leticia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,000

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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Leticia Chiang Mai 18,000 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Leticia
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

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

Leticia costs about 47% 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 $2,064 per month in Leticia 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 $38.00 in Leticia 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 18% more in Leticia, 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 Leticia at $1,376. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leticia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,376 in Leticia. 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, Leticia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.