Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Khon Kaen

For one person, living is cheaper in Khon Kaen: $608 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Khon Kaen

🇹🇭 Thailand

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Khon Kaen

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $608 in Khon Kaen, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Khon Kaen $608

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,024 in Khon Kaen, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Khon Kaen $1,024

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,440 in Khon Kaen, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Khon Kaen $1,440

Medellin costs about 169% more than Khon Kaen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Khon Kaen is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.04 ฿102

166.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$29.92 ฿1,009

57.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.93 ฿200

60.20%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$1.46 ฿49.33

106.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.59 ฿19.80

205.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.29 ฿9.81

386.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.72 ฿58.0

84.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$6.73 ฿227

-14.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$0.86 ฿29.13

105.81%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.47 ฿83.4

17.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$0.87 ฿29.31

78.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.50 ฿50.6

45.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.50 ฿50.6

6.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$0.62 ฿20.83

85.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.52 ฿17.69

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.65 ฿55.5

0.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.20 ฿40.54

70.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.32 ฿44.64

2.27%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$44.6K ฿1.5M

-23.58%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$26.5K ฿895.2K

30.64%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$94.7 ฿3,193

79.22%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$17.99 ฿607

-24.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$29.73 ฿1,003

-5.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$59.5 ฿2,007

-26.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.85 ฿197

18.12%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,970 ฿302.6K

1.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$30.04 ฿1,013

182.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$34.83 ฿1,175

66.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$73.8 ฿2,488

82.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$90.5 ฿3,053

8.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$280 ฿9,439

331.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$156 ฿5,261

311.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$730 ฿24.6K

177.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$480 ฿16.2K

110.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Khon Kaen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Khon Kaen

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Khon Kaen

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Khon Kaen

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Khon Kaen

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Khon Kaen

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Khon Kaen

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Khon Kaen

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $280 in Khon Kaen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $30 in Khon Kaen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $45 – making Khon Kaen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇭 Khon Kaen

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

00:35 12:35 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

114,459

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Khon Kaen 17,490 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Khon Kaen

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 Khon Kaen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 169%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $913 in Khon Kaen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Khon Kaen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $280 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 567% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $30 in Khon Kaen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Khon Kaen, where all-in costs run around $608, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Khon Kaen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $608 in Khon Kaen to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.