Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Chiang Rai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Rai: $713 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Rai
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Chiang Rai Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Chiang Rai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Chiang Rai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $713 in Chiang Rai.

Medellin $1,625
Chiang Rai $713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $1,132 in Chiang Rai.

Medellin $2,412
Chiang Rai $1,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $1,551 in Chiang Rai.

Medellin $3,199
Chiang Rai $1,551

Living in Medellin is roughly 128% more expensive than in Chiang Rai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Chiang Rai is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$2.21 ฿74.0

275.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$15.02 ฿502

212.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$5.45 ฿182

69.54%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.31 ฿43.76

132.82%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.62 ฿20.71

190.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.27 ฿8.96

411.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.61 ฿53.9

101.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.62 ฿121

53.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.97 ฿66.0

-23.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.41 ฿47.09

68.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.17 ฿39.25

45.30%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.87 ฿62.5

58.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$16.72 ฿559

-38.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$2.73 ฿91.2

256.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$9.35 ฿312

48.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.42 ฿80.8

70.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$0.86 ฿28.67

77.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.53 ฿51.3

45.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.87 ฿28.95

160.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.29 ฿43.27

54.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.08 ฿35.97

54.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.72 ฿24.19

63.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.52 ฿17.39

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.78 ฿126

2.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$17.54 ฿586

-21.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.59 ฿53.0

4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.87 ฿96.0

-16.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.83 ฿27.77

49.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$22.15 ฿740

253.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.18 ฿39.43

8.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.56 ฿18.76

283.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$2.37 ฿79.2

253.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.37 ฿45.62

-1.46%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$20.9K ฿698.8K

66.26%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$27.1K ฿906.6K

27.86%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$61.5 ฿2,055

170.98%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$12.14 ฿406

12.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$13.57 ฿454

114.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$35.83 ฿1,197

25.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$5.80 ฿194

196.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$2.89 ฿96.7

141.18%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$770 ฿25.7K

2.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$14.6K ฿487.9K

-38.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$54.6 ฿1,824

60.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$25.10 ฿839

131.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$74.9 ฿2,502

85.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$73.1 ฿2,444

35.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$229 ฿7,669

348.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$154 ฿5,141

302.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$502 ฿16.8K

274.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$355 ฿11.9K

183.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,910 ฿63.8K

108.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$955 ฿31.9K

78.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$585 ฿19.6K

13.39%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Rai: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Chiang Rai

$154 21.6% 75.2% $466

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Chiang Rai

$230 32.2% 23% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Chiang Rai

$87 12.2% 58.4% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Chiang Rai

$102 14.4% 40.7% $70

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Chiang Rai

$69 9.6% 59.8% $102

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Chiang Rai

$29 4.1% 69.1% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Chiang Rai

$42 5.8% 29.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $229 in Chiang Rai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $15.00 in Chiang Rai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $230 per month, with Chiang Rai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇭 Chiang Rai

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

12:18 12:18 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

77,672

💱 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 25, 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 25, 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

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Between locations

Medellin Chiang Rai 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Chiang Rai

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 Rai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Chiang Rai differ by about 128% in total monthly costs ($1,625 vs $713 including rent). Chiang Rai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Medellin, 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $229 in Chiang Rai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $770 in Chiang Rai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $713 in Chiang Rai versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Rai but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Rai 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, Medellin and Chiang Rai 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 Chiang Rai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 128% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.