Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ao Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Ao Nang: $995 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Ao Nang
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Ao Nang Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ao Nang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$995

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ao Nang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $995 in Ao Nang.

Medellin $1,639
Ao Nang $995

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,506 in Ao Nang.

Medellin $2,413
Ao Nang $1,506

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,018 in Ao Nang.

Medellin $3,186
Ao Nang $2,018

Living in Medellin is roughly 65% more expensive than in Ao Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Ao Nang is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.94 ฿99.1

175.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$23.82 ฿804

97.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.07 ฿340

-5.66%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$1.74 ฿58.7

72.99%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.67 ฿22.53

168.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.34 ฿11.56

314.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.09 ฿70.6

52.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.94 ฿99.3

95.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$2.71 ฿91.6

-44.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.50 ฿50.6

58.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.40 ฿47.14

26.43%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.65 ฿89.4

9.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$16.81 ฿567

-39.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$2.59 ฿87.5

281.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$10.07 ฿340

38.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.98 ฿100

33.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.06 ฿35.74

46.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.21 ฿74.4

-1.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.88 ฿63.6

15.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.50 ฿50.6

30.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.05 ฿35.36

51.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.11 ฿37.59

3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.51 ฿17.16

143.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.37 ฿147

-9.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$17.60 ฿594

-22.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.71 ฿57.7

-2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.86 ฿96.5

-20.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.87 ฿29.22

34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$36.11 ฿1,218

114.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.15 ฿38.71

10.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.15 ฿38.92

78.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$6.04 ฿204

41.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.40 ฿47.31

-3.57%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$26.7K ฿900.4K

27.62%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$27.9K ฿941.3K

24.23%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$105 ฿3,555

60.97%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$8.46 ฿285

60.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$20.52 ฿692

36.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$43.89 ฿1,481

-0.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$13.16 ฿444

30.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.43 ฿217

7.47%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$619 ฿20.9K

28.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$10.7K ฿361.7K

-15.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$50.3 ฿1,695

68.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$29.51 ฿995

96.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$75.4 ฿2,544

78.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$76.6 ฿2,583

27.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$351 ฿11.8K

244.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$300 ฿10.1K

113.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$940 ฿31.7K

115.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$540 ฿18.2K

87.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,332 ฿78.7K

78.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,954 ฿65.9K

-2.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,275 ฿43.0K

-48.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.57

96.41%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ao Nang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ao Nang

$300 30.2% 53.3% $342

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ao Nang

$258 25.9% 13.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ao Nang

$134 13.5% 36.4% $77

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ao Nang

$95 9.6% 44% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ao Nang

$104 10.5% 38.3% $65

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ao Nang

$46 4.7% 50.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ao Nang

$57 5.7% 1.4% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $351 in Ao Nang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ao Nang pays 94% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $24 in Ao Nang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $258 per month, with Ao Nang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇭 Ao Nang

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

12:03 12:03 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

8,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Ao Nang 18,340 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ao Nang

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

Medellin vs Ao Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $995 in Ao Nang, so Ao Nang is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 48% 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $351 in Ao Nang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ao Nang – a meal for two runs $24 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $995 in Ao Nang – Ao Nang is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $995 in Ao Nang versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Ao Nang but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Ao Nang 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.

Expats usually find Ao Nang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.