Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Rayong

For one person, living is cheaper in Rayong: $940 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Rayong
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Rayong Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Rayong

🇹🇭 Thailand

$940

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Rayong

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $940 in Rayong, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Rayong $940

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,191 in Rayong, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Rayong $1,191

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,443 in Rayong, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Rayong $1,443

Medellin costs about 72% more than Rayong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Rayong is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$2.89 ฿96.7

174.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$17.80 ฿595

159.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.42 ฿214

47.98%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.62 ฿54.1

91.98%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.51 ฿17.16

258.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.28 ฿9.43

392.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.73 ฿57.9

76.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.05 ฿102

80.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.87 ฿62.7

-22.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.30 ฿43.53

81.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.42 ฿47.48

18.31%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.61 ฿87.2

9.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$17.02 ฿569

-40.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$2.91 ฿97.2

227.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$13.02 ฿435

7.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.29 ฿110

23.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.75 ฿58.5

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.24 ฿74.9

-3.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.90 ฿63.4

21.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.68 ฿56.2

14.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.50 ฿50.2

9.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.28 ฿42.68

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.52 ฿17.42

140.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$4.52 ฿151

-11.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$15.09 ฿504

-11.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.82 ฿60.9

-6.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$3.21 ฿107

-26.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.06 ฿35.47

24.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.21 ฿40.35

76.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$6.03 ฿202

40.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.42 ฿47.32

-8.45%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$31.2K ฿1.0M

-10.42%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$27.2K ฿910.6K

29.97%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$44.28 ฿1,480

288.64%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$14.92 ฿499

-10.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$11.83 ฿395

142.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$66.8 ฿2,231

-32.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$17.63 ฿589

-3.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$6.59 ฿220

-4.70%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$574 ฿19.2K

34.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$16.3K ฿546.3K

-44.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$69.7 ฿2,330

23.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$43.37 ฿1,449

31.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$98.2 ฿3,283

39.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$108 ฿3,625

-9.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$419 ฿14.0K

151.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$295 ฿9,859

108.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,027 ฿67.8K

-17.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$469 ฿15.7K

39.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.25

108.38%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rayong: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Rayong

$295 31.4% 52.1% $321

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Rayong

$263 28% 10.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Rayong

$71 7.6% 66.8% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Rayong

$144 15.3% 15.4% $26

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Rayong

$80 8.5% 52.6% $89

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Rayong

$7.1 * 0.8% 92.4% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Rayong

$80 8.5% 38.3% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $419 in Rayong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 39% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $18.00 in Rayong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $263 – making Rayong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇭 Rayong

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

03:49 3:49 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

63,565

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Rayong 17,880 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Rayong

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 Rayong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,410 in Rayong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rayong, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $18.00 in Rayong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rayong, where all-in costs run around $940, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Rayong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rayong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Rayong. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.