Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Chanthaburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chanthaburi: $980 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Chanthaburi
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Chanthaburi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Chanthaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Chanthaburi

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 Chanthaburi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $980 in Chanthaburi.

Medellin $1,692
Chanthaburi $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,577 in Chanthaburi.

Medellin $2,471
Chanthaburi $1,577

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,174 in Chanthaburi.

Medellin $3,249
Chanthaburi $2,174

Living in Medellin is roughly 73% more expensive than in Chanthaburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Chanthaburi is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$1.21 ฿40.53

589.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$37.94 ฿1,274

22.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$7.29 ฿245

29.90%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.52 ฿51.1

105.92%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.55 ฿18.48

221.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.29 ฿9.69

389.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.67 ฿56.1

88.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.57 ฿153

24.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.49 ฿50.2

2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$1.52 ฿51.0

50.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$0.91 ฿30.47

113.19%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$2.15 ฿72.2

42.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$17.14 ฿576

-41.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$3.88 ฿130

169.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$12.74 ฿428

9.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.74 ฿126

8.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.71 ฿57.3

-10.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$2.80 ฿93.9

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.90 ฿63.7

20.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.19 ฿40.05

77.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$1.49 ฿49.98

14.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.23 ฿41.34

-4.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.48 ฿16.08

229.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.69 ฿158

-16.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$14.57 ฿490

-3.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.69 ฿56.8

4.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$3.31 ฿111

-18.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$0.84 ฿28.09

40.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

$88.7 ฿2,978

-13.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$1.02 ฿34.20

77.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$1.06 ฿35.64

100.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$5.86 ฿197

38.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.18 ฿39.78

8.47%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$31.7K ฿1.1M

8.74%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$23.3K ฿783.2K

46.39%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$99.2 ฿3,331

79.24%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$3.57 ฿120

289.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$10.52 ฿353

192.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$49.62 ฿1,667

-15.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$13.05 ฿438

28.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$5.46 ฿183

36.81%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$816 ฿27.4K

-3.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$15.5K ฿520.6K

-20.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$7.28 ฿245

1085.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$36.11 ฿1,213

64.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$67.0 ฿2,250

106.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$20.53 ฿690

381.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$437 ฿14.7K

206.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$315 ฿10.6K

111.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,088 ฿36.5K

81.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$670 ฿22.5K

54.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$2,184 ฿73.4K

87.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,860 ฿62.5K

4.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.25

108.38%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chanthaburi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Chanthaburi

$315 32.2% 52.7% $352

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Chanthaburi

$262 26.8% 14.6% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Chanthaburi

$113 11.6% 49.1% $109

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Chanthaburi

$71 7.2% 59.1% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Chanthaburi

$59 6% 65.8% $113

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Chanthaburi

$98 10% 5.2% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Chanthaburi

$61 6.2% 6.4% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $437 in Chanthaburi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $38 in Chanthaburi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $262 per month, with Chanthaburi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇭 Chanthaburi

🕒 Local time

19:07 7:07 PM

07:07 7:07 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

27,602

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Chanthaburi 17,900 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Chanthaburi

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 Chanthaburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $980 in Chanthaburi, so Chanthaburi is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,469 in Chanthaburi 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $437 in Chanthaburi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medellin runs roughly 14% less than in Chanthaburi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $816 in Chanthaburi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $980 in Chanthaburi versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Chanthaburi but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Chanthaburi 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.