Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Loei

For one person, living is cheaper in Loei: $1,005 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Loei
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Loei Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Loei

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Loei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,005 in Loei.

Medellin $1,692
Loei $1,005

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,612 in Loei.

Medellin $2,471
Loei $1,612

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,220 in Loei.

Medellin $3,249
Loei $2,220

Living in Medellin is roughly 68% more expensive than in Loei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Loei is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$3.28 ฿111

154.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$26.26 ฿886

77.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$8.02 ฿271

18.08%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.15 ฿72.4

45.58%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$0.72 ฿24.40

145.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$0.32 ฿10.75

343.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.11 ฿71.3

49.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$2.91 ฿98.2

95.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$1.93 ฿65.1

-20.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$1.61 ฿54.3

42.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$1.49 ฿50.4

30.20%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$2.27 ฿76.6

35.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$18.80 ฿634

-46.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$2.28 ฿76.9

358.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$11.98 ฿404

16.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.99 ฿101

35.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$0.91 ฿30.82

68.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$2.21 ฿74.5

-4.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$1.98 ฿66.7

15.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$1.52 ฿51.1

38.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$1.27 ฿42.90

34.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$1.00 ฿33.83

17.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$0.45 ฿15.31

251.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$3.80 ฿128

2.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$18.74 ฿632

-25.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$1.65 ฿55.7

6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$2.89 ฿97.4

-6.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$0.81 ฿27.47

45.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$1.35 ฿45.50

34.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$1.18 ฿39.69

80.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$4.14 ฿140

96.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.27 ฿42.73

0.79%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$29.4K ฿991.2K

17.19%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$27.1K ฿914.0K

25.96%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$92.4 ฿3,117

92.31%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$9.86 ฿333

40.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$17.50 ฿590

75.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$49.98 ฿1,686

-16.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$13.80 ฿465

21.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$6.29 ฿212

18.76%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$697 ฿23.5K

13.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$17.3K ฿583.2K

-28.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$56.3 ฿1,899

53.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$31.06 ฿1,048

90.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$77.2 ฿2,605

79.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$73.7 ฿2,485

34.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$441 ฿14.9K

204.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$347 ฿11.7K

92.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,153 ฿38.9K

71.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$784 ฿26.4K

31.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$2,351 ฿79.3K

74.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,710 ฿57.7K

13.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Loei: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Loei

$347 34.5% 48.1% $321

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Loei

$261 26% 15% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Loei

$120 11.9% 46.1% $103

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Loei

$97 9.6% 44% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Loei

$107 10.7% 37.7% $65

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Loei

$10 * 1% 88.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Loei

$63 6.2% 9.9% $5.7

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 $1,341 in Medellin and $441 in Loei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $26 in Loei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $261 per month, with Loei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇭 Loei

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

09:55 9:55 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

22,677

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Loei 17,360 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Loei

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 Loei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,005 in Loei, so Loei is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,507 in Loei 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $441 in Loei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $697 in Loei. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Loei – 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 Loei 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.