Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Koh Lanta

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Lanta: $1,003 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Koh Lanta
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Koh Lanta Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Koh Lanta

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Koh Lanta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,003 in Koh Lanta.

Medellin $1,639
Koh Lanta $1,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,682 in Koh Lanta.

Medellin $2,413
Koh Lanta $1,682

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,360 in Koh Lanta.

Medellin $3,186
Koh Lanta $2,360

Living in Medellin is roughly 63% more expensive than in Koh Lanta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Koh Lanta is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.48 ฿117

132.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$25.75 ฿868

82.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.69 ฿226

42.00%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.18 ฿73.5

38.07%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.72 ฿24.17

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.37 ฿12.33

281.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.08 ฿70.1

52.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.88 ฿97.3

99.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.55 ฿52.1

-2.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.31 ฿44.17

81.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.41 ฿47.55

25.53%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.96 ฿66.3

47.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$17.05 ฿575

-40.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.08 ฿104

220.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$9.82 ฿331

42.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.54 ฿85.6

56.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.48 ฿49.86

4.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.03 ฿68.3

7.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.90 ฿64.2

14.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.30 ฿43.95

50.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.24 ฿41.94

28.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.01 ฿34.16

13.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.47 ฿15.81

163.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.92 ฿132

1.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$16.34 ฿551

-16.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.63 ฿55.1

1.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.51 ฿84.6

-9.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$1.15 ฿38.64

1.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$45.39 ฿1,531

70.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.30 ฿77.6

-44.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$0.85 ฿28.52

141.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.98 ฿100

186.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.17 ฿39.52

15.38%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$21.5K ฿723.7K

58.77%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$21.0K ฿707.6K

65.27%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$93.7 ฿3,161

81.06%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$10.61 ฿358

27.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$16.29 ฿550

72.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$57.4 ฿1,934

-23.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$9.31 ฿314

84.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.37 ฿215

8.48%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$427 ฿14.4K

86.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$10.2K ฿342.6K

-10.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$60.2 ฿2,029

40.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$27.50 ฿928

110.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$89.5 ฿3,018

50.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$84.5 ฿2,850

15.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$439 ฿14.8K

174.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$304 ฿10.3K

110.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,173 ฿39.6K

72.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$851 ฿28.7K

18.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,520 ฿85.0K

65.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,793 ฿60.5K

6.52%

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 Koh Lanta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Koh Lanta

$304 30.4% 52.5% $337

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Koh Lanta

$239 23.8% 19.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Koh Lanta

$121 12% 42.9% $91

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Koh Lanta

$95 9.4% 44.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Koh Lanta

$118 11.7% 30.3% $51

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Koh Lanta

$57 5.6% 39.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Koh Lanta

$70 7% 21.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $439 in Koh Lanta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $26 in Koh Lanta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $239 per month, with Koh Lanta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇭 Koh Lanta

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

23:50 11:50 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

32,000

💱 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 Koh Lanta 18,360 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Koh Lanta

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 Koh Lanta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,003 in Koh Lanta, so Koh Lanta is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,505 in Koh Lanta 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $439 in Koh Lanta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Lanta – a meal for two runs $26 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Koh Lanta gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Koh Lanta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.