Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Chiang Mai $1,914

Medellin costs about 72% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$2.26 ฿75.7

250.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 147.1K

$19.18 ฿644

140.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$5.59 ฿188

69.95%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,920

$1.72 ฿57.9

80.81%

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

$1.83 COP 5,832

$0.64 ฿21.63

185.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,384

$0.33 ฿11.23

318.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,725

$2.36 ฿79.1

29.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$3.90 ฿131

41.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,625

$2.05 ฿68.9

-29.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,537

$1.40 ฿46.90

68.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,358

$1.28 ฿43.07

31.25%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,127

$2.25 ฿75.6

27.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.5K

$16.94 ฿569

-39.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.4K

$2.74 ฿92.0

247.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.8K

$9.36 ฿314

50.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$2.40 ฿80.6

69.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,768

$1.01 ฿34.06

48.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,929

$1.61 ฿54.1

34.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,350

$1.52 ฿51.0

51.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,147

$1.28 ฿43.08

50.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,224

$1.11 ฿37.38

47.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,590

$0.72 ฿24.19

56.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,976

$0.52 ฿17.61

140.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$4.33 ฿145

-7.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.6K

$17.73 ฿595

-24.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,413

$1.63 ฿54.7

4.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,566

$2.85 ฿95.7

-16.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,848

$0.85 ฿28.43

42.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.9K

$53.9 ฿1,809

41.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,202

$1.17 ฿39.34

12.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,811

$0.57 ฿19.08

275.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$2.37 ฿79.5

257.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,137

$1.45 ฿48.52

-10.34%

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

$28.0K COP 89.2M

$20.5K ฿687.1K

36.70%

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

$35.4K COP 112.9M

$26.5K ฿889.8K

33.57%

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

$172 COP 548.6K

$62.3 ฿2,092

176.09%

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

$13.37 COP 42.6K

$12.27 ฿412

8.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.6K

$19.97 ฿670

43.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.2K

$37.91 ฿1,272

19.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.3K

$3.76 ฿126

353.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$6.71 ฿225

-6.41%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$797 ฿26.8K

-3.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$14.8K ฿497.8K

-39.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.5K

$53.3 ฿1,787

62.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 182.1K

$25.05 ฿841

128.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 435.3K

$91.6 ฿3,075

49.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 312.1K

$73.5 ฿2,465

33.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$464 ฿15.6K

127.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$305 ฿10.2K

102.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$915 ฿30.7K

106.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$552 ฿18.5K

85.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,912 ฿64.2K

112.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.4M

$1,438 ฿48.3K

16.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$595 ฿20.0K

9.61%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 50.5% $311

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 19.2% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 55.8% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 35.6% $61

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 53.1% $89

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 34.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 11.2% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin 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.

Salaries run about 10% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

04:33 4:33 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

127,240

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3,188 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,568 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.56 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Chiang Mai 17,170 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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

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

Medellin costs about 72% 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 $2,421 per month in Medellin 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.

Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Medellin, 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 Medellin at $1,614. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,614 in Medellin. 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, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.