Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hat Yai

For one person, living is cheaper in Hat Yai: $731 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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 Hat Yai
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Hat Yai Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hat Yai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $731 in Hat Yai.

Medellin $1,614
Hat Yai $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $1,300 in Hat Yai.

Medellin $2,402
Hat Yai $1,300

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $1,870 in Hat Yai.

Medellin $3,190
Hat Yai $1,870

Living in Medellin is roughly 121% more expensive than in Hat Yai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Hat Yai is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$2.90 ฿96.9

173.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$43.67 ฿1,460

5.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$3.66 ฿122

159.56%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.88 ฿96.3

7.99%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.33 ฿44.34

37.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.56 ฿18.60

146.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.80 ฿60.1

69.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.46 ฿116

58.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.45 ฿48.55

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.25 ฿41.68

88.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.24 ฿41.28

35.48%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.51 ฿83.9

13.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$22.15 ฿740

-54.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$2.24 ฿74.7

325.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$11.19 ฿374

25.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.54 ฿84.8

60.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.38 ฿46.10

8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.89 ฿63.3

14.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.80 ฿60.3

28.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.46 ฿48.94

32.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.03 ฿34.38

59.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.07 ฿35.74

5.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.41 ฿13.57

204.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$4.36 ฿146

-8.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$15.03 ฿502

-11.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.77 ฿59.2

-3.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.99 ฿66.4

19.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.57 ฿18.98

112.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.25 ฿41.71

5.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.13 ฿37.78

89.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$4.94 ฿165

71.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.29 ฿43.15

0.78%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$18.9K ฿630.6K

48.34%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$45.1K ฿1.5M

-21.50%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$84.4 ฿2,819

103.99%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$11.75 ฿393

13.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$9.65 ฿322

197.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$48.45 ฿1,619

-6.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$14.10 ฿471

20.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$7.19 ฿240

-12.66%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$562 ฿18.8K

37.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$10.7K ฿357.3K

-15.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$37.54 ฿1,255

130.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$26.26 ฿878

117.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$70.9 ฿2,369

92.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$97.3 ฿3,250

0.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$270 ฿9,010

291.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$107 ฿3,576

475.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$729 ฿24.4K

159.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$397 ฿13.3K

157.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,915 ฿64.0K

111.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,584 ฿52.9K

5.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$452 ฿15.1K

44.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.36

72.01%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hat Yai: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Hat Yai

$107 14.7% 82.6% $509

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Hat Yai

$249 34.1% 15.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Hat Yai

$106 14.5% 50.6% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Hat Yai

$104 14.3% 38.6% $66

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Hat Yai

$92 12.6% 45.2% $76

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Hat Yai

$9.2 * 1.3% 90.2% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Hat Yai

$63 8.6% 8.7% $5

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $270 in Hat Yai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 44% 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: $46.00 in Medellin vs $44.00 in Hat Yai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $249 per month, with Hat Yai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇭 Hat Yai

🕒 Local time

18:34 6:34 PM

06:34 6:34 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

156,802

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Hat Yai 18,480 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hat Yai

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 Hat Yai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hat Yai wins on cost – living expenses run 121% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hat Yai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 44% 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $270 in Hat Yai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $770 in Medellin versus $562 in Hat Yai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hat Yai – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $731 in Hat Yai versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hat Yai but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Hat Yai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hat Yai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $731 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hat Yai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Hat Yai 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 Hat Yai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.