Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Surat Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Surat Thani

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $775 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Surat Thani $775

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,414 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Surat Thani $1,414

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,053 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Surat Thani $2,053

Medellin costs about 110% more than Surat Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Surat Thani is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$1.89 ฿63.0

339.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$17.87 ฿597

162.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$4.51 ฿151

104.88%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.50 ฿50.2

103.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.50 ฿16.68

260.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.29 ฿9.66

375.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.56 ฿85.4

26.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.69 ฿123

50.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.66 ฿55.4

-9.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.19 ฿39.89

99.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.17 ฿39.13

45.30%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.87 ฿62.4

58.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$19.18 ฿641

-46.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.33 ฿111

192.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$7.44 ฿249

86.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.91 ฿97.2

41.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.68 ฿56.3

-8.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.76 ฿58.7

26.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$2.05 ฿68.4

10.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.30 ฿43.57

53.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.37 ฿45.90

21.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.11 ฿37.24

6.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.41 ฿13.66

202.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.07 ฿103

26.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$18.86 ฿630

-26.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.54 ฿51.6

7.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.82 ฿60.7

31.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.02 ฿34.00

21.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$20.95 ฿700

273.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.18 ฿39.50

8.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.63 ฿21.05

241.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$3.49 ฿117

139.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.16 ฿38.93

16.38%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$26.6K ฿890.1K

30.52%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$27.3K ฿911.7K

27.15%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$72.9 ฿2,437

128.54%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$11.12 ฿372

22.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$17.32 ฿579

68.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$48.24 ฿1,612

-6.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$11.52 ฿385

49.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$4.53 ฿151

53.86%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$549 ฿18.3K

43.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$11.6K ฿386.5K

-21.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$61.9 ฿2,070

41.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$29.16 ฿974

99.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$97.3 ฿3,252

42.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$86.5 ฿2,892

14.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$237 ฿7,910

334.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$149 ฿4,985

315.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,150 ฿38.4K

63.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$709 ฿23.7K

42.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,226 ฿74.4K

79.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,404 ฿46.9K

21.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 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 19, 2026

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Surat Thani

$149 19.3% 75.9% $470

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Surat Thani

$244 31.5% 18% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Surat Thani

$101 13.1% 51.6% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Surat Thani

$124 16% 28.4% $49

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Surat Thani

$70 9% 59.1% $101

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Surat Thani

$29 3.8% 69.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Surat Thani

$57 7.4% 2.9% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $237 in Surat Thani. 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $18.00 in Surat Thani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $244 – making Surat Thani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

19:33 7:33 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

132,040

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Surat Thani 18,210 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Surat Thani

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 Surat Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 110%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,163 in Surat Thani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surat Thani, 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 $47.00 in Medellin and $18.00 in Surat Thani. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $775 in Surat Thani. That's a gap of about 110%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surat Thani, where all-in costs run around $775, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Surat Thani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surat Thani – 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 Surat Thani. 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.