Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monteria and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,358 in Monteria, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Monteria
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Monteria Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Monteria

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,358

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monteria and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Monteria and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,358 per month in Monteria vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Monteria $1,358
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,064 per month in Monteria vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Monteria $2,064
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,770 per month in Monteria vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Monteria $2,770
Chiang Mai $1,999

Monteria costs about 45% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.66 COP 18.3K

$2.13 ฿72.0

165.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.00 COP 151.7K

$18.62 ฿628

152.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 COP 32.5K

$5.60 ฿189

80.00%

Cappuccino

$2.66 COP 8,600

$1.66 ฿56.1

60.24%

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

$2.56 COP 8,261

$0.65 ฿21.83

293.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 COP 7,537

$0.30 ฿10.29

676.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 COP 10.8K

$2.32 ฿78.4

44.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 COP 16.5K

$3.67 ฿124

39.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 COP 5,949

$2.02 ฿68.0

-8.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 COP 9,358

$1.41 ฿47.51

105.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,782

$1.39 ฿46.96

6.47%

Eggs

$4.85 COP 15.7K

$2.37 ฿79.9

104.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 COP 26.2K

$16.52 ฿557

-50.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 COP 32.2K

$2.67 ฿90.1

273.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.47 COP 40.3K

$9.02 ฿304

38.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 COP 12.2K

$2.40 ฿80.9

57.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,672

$1.04 ฿35.13

39.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,275

$1.66 ฿56.0

16.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 COP 6,527

$1.56 ฿52.6

29.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 COP 5,193

$1.24 ฿41.76

29.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,760

$1.09 ฿36.66

34.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,637

$0.76 ฿25.70

48.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 COP 3,828

$0.51 ฿17.35

133.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 COP 13.3K

$4.12 ฿139

-0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 COP 46.6K

$17.93 ฿605

-19.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 COP 4,492

$1.62 ฿54.8

-14.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,666

$2.82 ฿95.2

-15.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 COP 3,461

$0.93 ฿31.53

15.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 COP 210.4K

$52.9 ฿1,785

23.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 COP 5,195

$1.18 ฿39.70

36.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 COP 6,737

$0.17 ฿5.79

1129.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.19 COP 29.7K

$1.81 ฿61.1

407.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,142

$1.47 ฿49.69

-12.93%

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

$34.9K COP 112.6M

$21.0K ฿708.9K

66.05%

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

$34.9K COP 112.6M

$26.5K ฿894.6K

31.55%

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

$79.7 COP 257.3K

$62.6 ฿2,111

27.38%

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

$13.46 COP 43.5K

$11.60 ฿392

16.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.98 COP 90.3K

$20.30 ฿685

37.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.09 COP 123.0K

$37.88 ฿1,278

0.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$8.12 COP 26.2K

$6.51 ฿220

24.73%

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

$634 COP 2.0M

$727 ฿24.5K

-12.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,860 COP 18.9M

$16.6K ฿559.2K

-64.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.8 COP 270.4K

$53.5 ฿1,807

56.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 COP 168.0K

$24.80 ฿837

109.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 441.9K

$90.4 ฿3,050

51.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 COP 321.2K

$72.0 ฿2,428

38.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$725 COP 2.3M

$481 ฿16.2K

50.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 COP 1.6M

$310 ฿10.5K

55.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 COP 4.5M

$1,058 ฿35.7K

31.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 COP 2.5M

$659 ฿22.2K

17.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,193 COP 7.1M

$2,418 ฿81.6K

-9.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 COP 5.8M

$1,609 ฿54.3K

11.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

169.30%

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

Last update for Monteria: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monteria

$482 35.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 35.8% $173

Groceries & Markets

Monteria

$297 21.9%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 20.3% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Monteria

$167 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 35.3% $59

Eating Out

Monteria

$154 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 50.3% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monteria

$121 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 22% $27

Getting Around

Monteria

$82 6%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 28% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Monteria

$54 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 6.3% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $725 in Monteria versus $481 in Chiang Mai. 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 Monteria versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Monteria

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

05:43 5:43 AM

12 h ahead of Monteria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

454,032

127,240

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monteria Chiang Mai 16,900 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Monteria
Chiang Mai

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

Monteria vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monteria costs about 45% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,037 per month in Monteria and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $725 in Monteria.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Monteria and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Monteria, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,358 in Monteria and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,358 in Monteria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 31% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.