Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ratchaburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratchaburi: $1,006 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.

Medellin, Colombia
Ratchaburi, Thailand
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Ratchaburi
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,006
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ratchaburi

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,006 in Ratchaburi, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Ratchaburi $1,006

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,533 in Ratchaburi, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Ratchaburi $1,533

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,061 in Ratchaburi, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Ratchaburi $2,061

Medellin costs about 68% more than Ratchaburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Ratchaburi is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Ratchaburi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 27.0K
$3.01 ฿102
177.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.9K
$27.13 ฿915
71.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.7K
$8.75 ฿295
8.23%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.2K
$1.99 ฿67.1
57.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,728
$0.65 ฿22.07
172.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,620
$0.25 ฿8.35
468.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$2.43 ฿82.0
29.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.5K
$2.61 ฿88.1
118.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Ratchaburi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,971
$1.63 ฿54.9
-6.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,431
$1.47 ฿49.52
55.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,308
$1.40 ฿47.11
38.57%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,945
$2.19 ฿73.7
40.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.4K
$15.19 ฿512
-34.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.9K
$2.57 ฿86.8
306.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.3K
$10.19 ฿344
37.00%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$3.43 ฿116
18.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,957
$1.25 ฿42.04
22.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,825
$1.92 ฿64.7
9.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,439
$1.94 ฿65.6
18.04%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,841
$1.19 ฿40.23
77.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,543
$1.07 ฿36.23
59.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,795
$1.22 ฿41.31
-4.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,125
$0.40 ฿13.46
295.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.7K
$4.39 ฿148
-10.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.6K
$17.51 ฿591
-19.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,714
$1.65 ฿55.8
6.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,796
$2.95 ฿99.7
-8.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Ratchaburi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,826
$0.99 ฿33.25
19.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 247.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,860
$1.17 ฿39.61
54.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,906
$1.07 ฿36.24
99.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.4K
$3.62 ฿122
124.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,136
$1.50 ฿50.6
-14.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.7M
$46.1K ฿1.6M
-25.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.7M
$26.2K ฿884.8K
30.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Ratchaburi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 576.4K
$91.0 ฿3,070
95.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 45.0K
$11.63 ฿392
19.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.7K
$18.72 ฿631
64.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Ratchaburi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 136.0K
$53.7 ฿1,810
-21.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.5K
$13.50 ฿455
24.44%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.2K
$7.59 ฿256
-1.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Ratchaburi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$630 ฿21.2K
25.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.9M
$20.7K ฿697.2K
-40.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Ratchaburi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 280.0K
$50.1 ฿1,690
72.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 192.2K
$29.01 ฿979
104.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 448.7K
$95.5 ฿3,221
44.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 320.5K
$75.5 ฿2,545
30.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Ratchaburi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$497 ฿16.8K
169.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$357 ฿12.0K
86.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$1,266 ฿42.7K
56.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$645 ฿21.7K
60.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.3M
$2,210 ฿74.5K
85.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$1,851 ฿62.4K
4.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Ratchaburi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.96
83.56%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ratchaburi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Ratchaburi
$357 46.5% $310
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Ratchaburi
$241 21.6% $66
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Ratchaburi
$121 45.4% $101
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Ratchaburi
$95 44.8% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Ratchaburi
$113 34.7% $60
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Ratchaburi
$10 * 88.8% $83
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Ratchaburi
$69 21% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $497 in Ratchaburi. 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 $27 in Ratchaburi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $241 – making Ratchaburi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇹🇭 Ratchaburi
🕒 Local time
05:56 5:56 AM
17:56 5:56 PM
12 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
38,208
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Ratchaburi 17,760 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Ratchaburi

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 Ratchaburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ratchaburi cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,509 in Ratchaburi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ratchaburi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $497 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Ratchaburi?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $27 in Ratchaburi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Ratchaburi?
Groceries cost about 28% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Medellin or in Ratchaburi?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $1,006 in Ratchaburi. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Medellin or Ratchaburi more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Ratchaburi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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