Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kalasin

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalasin: $932 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Kalasin, Thailand
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Kalasin
🇹🇭 Thailand
$932
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kalasin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $932 in Kalasin.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Kalasin $932

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,510 in Kalasin.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Kalasin $1,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,087 in Kalasin.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Kalasin $2,087

Living in Medellin is roughly 76% more expensive than in Kalasin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Kalasin is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Kalasin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$4.91 ฿165
64.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.9K
$24.81 ฿836
89.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$4.46 ฿150
113.00%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,540
$2.01 ฿67.8
49.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,693
$0.58 ฿19.63
210.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,469
$0.30 ฿10.06
370.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.0K
$2.13 ฿71.9
49.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
$2.92 ฿98.4
96.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Kalasin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,778
$1.81 ฿60.9
-16.57%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,524
$1.41 ฿47.65
68.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,606
$1.31 ฿44.15
35.11%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,146
$1.99 ฿67.0
45.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.2K
$16.89 ฿569
-39.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.2K
$2.60 ฿87.7
279.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.3K
$9.99 ฿337
40.04%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$2.86 ฿96.5
38.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,911
$1.00 ฿33.81
55.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,907
$2.14 ฿72.1
1.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,910
$1.96 ฿66.2
11.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,210
$1.52 ฿51.1
28.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,029
$1.10 ฿37.22
44.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,625
$1.11 ฿37.49
3.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,934
$0.50 ฿16.74
148.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$4.23 ฿143
-6.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.3K
$17.99 ฿606
-23.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,252
$1.68 ฿56.8
-1.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,145
$2.88 ฿97.2
-21.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Kalasin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,696
$0.86 ฿28.92
36.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 244.8K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,013
$1.22 ฿41.00
4.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,480
$1.18 ฿39.75
73.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.1K
$5.97 ฿201
43.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,262
$1.41 ฿47.63
-4.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.8M
$26.5K ฿893.4K
28.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.7M
$27.2K ฿915.6K
27.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Kalasin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 536.8K
$83.4 ฿2,809
103.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.9K
$11.77 ฿397
15.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.8K
$19.31 ฿651
45.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Kalasin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.3K
$47.93 ฿1,615
-8.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.4K
$13.16 ฿443
30.62%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
$6.45 ฿217
7.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Kalasin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$575 ฿19.4K
38.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.8M
$11.0K ฿371.2K
-17.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Kalasin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 268.1K
$51.2 ฿1,724
65.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.4K
$29.44 ฿992
96.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 427.1K
$75.3 ฿2,536
79.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 309.7K
$77.3 ฿2,603
26.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Kalasin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$431 ฿14.5K
180.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$299 ฿10.1K
114.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$1,160 ฿39.1K
74.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$704 ฿23.7K
43.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.2M
$1,970 ฿66.4K
111.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$1,434 ฿48.3K
33.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Kalasin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
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 Kalasin: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Kalasin
$299 53.4% $342
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Kalasin
$245 17.5% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Kalasin
$114 45.8% $97
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Kalasin
$97 42.9% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Kalasin
$105 37.9% $64
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Kalasin
$11 * 88.7% $83
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Kalasin
$61 5.7% $3.3

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 $1,208 in Medellin and $431 in Kalasin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $25 in Kalasin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $245 per month, with Kalasin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇹🇭 Kalasin
🕒 Local time
22:09 10:09 PM
10:09 10:09 AM
12 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
37,653
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Kalasin 17,490 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Kalasin

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 Kalasin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kalasin cheaper than Medellin?
Kalasin is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,398 in Kalasin 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.
What is the rent difference between Medellin and Kalasin?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $431 in Kalasin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $575 in Kalasin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Kalasin?
Dining out is cheaper in Kalasin – a meal for two runs $25 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Kalasin?
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.

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