Cost of Living Comparison Between Popayan and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Popayan and Chiang Mai

🙂 Solo nomad: Popayan is 16.3% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 8.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Popayan is 24.8% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 14.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Popayan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.91 COP 14.7K
$2.03 ฿64.6
92.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.50 COP 88.4K
$18.59 ฿593
26.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.38 COP 27.7K
$7.48 ฿238
-1.34%
Cappuccino
$1.50 COP 5,646
$2.00 ฿63.7
-25.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 COP 3,267
$0.85 ฿27.01
2.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 COP 2,163
$0.35 ฿11.21
65.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.20 COP 4,515
$2.21 ฿70.5
-45.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 COP 8,425
$3.76 ฿120
-40.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Popayan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.05 COP 3,962
$1.72 ฿54.8
-38.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.24 COP 4,659
$1.63 ฿52.1
-23.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.13 COP 4,264
$1.16 ฿36.93
-2.59%
Eggs
$2.24 COP 8,431
$1.98 ฿63.1
13.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.55 COP 17.1K
$15.93 ฿508
-71.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.37 COP 20.2K
$3.17 ฿101
69.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.48 COP 28.1K
$10.90 ฿348
-31.38%
Apples (1kg)
$2.52 COP 9,482
$2.65 ฿84.3
-4.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.07 COP 4,021
$1.22 ฿38.98
-12.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.36 COP 5,113
$1.70 ฿54.1
-20.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.91 COP 3,413
$1.59 ฿50.7
-42.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.16 COP 4,350
$1.32 ฿42.21
-12.12%
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 COP 4,251
$1.17 ฿37.25
-3.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.85 COP 3,199
$0.68 ฿21.61
25.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 COP 2,449
$0.56 ฿17.76
16.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.38 COP 8,962
$4.51 ฿144
-47.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.50 COP 32.0K
$19.07 ฿608
-55.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 COP 4,109
$1.77 ฿56.4
-38.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 COP 6,525
$3.18 ฿101
-45.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Popayan
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.72 COP 2,692
$0.96 ฿30.70
-25.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$18.90 ฿602
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.49 COP 5,597
$1.36 ฿43.29
9.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.71 COP 6,413
$1.35 ฿43.11
26.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.88 COP 22.1K
$8.03 ฿256
-26.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 COP 3,557
$1.24 ฿39.62
-23.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.8K COP 66.8M
$21.2K ฿674.7K
-16.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K COP 94.8M
$21.8K ฿693.5K
15.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Popayan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.8 COP 311.4K
$71.2 ฿2,271
16.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.99 COP 33.8K
$14.09 ฿449
-36.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.62 COP 85.1K
$17.47 ฿557
29.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Popayan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.39 COP 88.0K
$42.07 ฿1,341
-44.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.88 ฿219
-
Cinema Ticket
$3.96 COP 14.9K
$5.94 ฿189
-33.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Popayan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$237 COP 890.1K
$307 ฿9,799
-22.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,888 COP 22.1M
$14.8K ฿471.6K
-60.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Popayan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.4 COP 219.7K
$55.7 ฿1,775
4.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.73 COP 123.1K
$26.79 ฿854
22.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.3 COP 309.6K
$83.2 ฿2,653
-1.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.0 COP 270.8K
$70.1 ฿2,235
2.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Popayan
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$282 COP 1.1M
$427 ฿13.6K
-34.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 COP 890.2K
$237 ฿7,559
-0.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$534 COP 2.0M
$802 ฿25.6K
-33.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$423 COP 1.6M
$503 ฿16.0K
-15.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,637 COP 6.2M
$2,061 ฿65.7K
-20.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,433 COP 5.4M
$1,533 ฿48.9K
-6.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Popayan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$654 ฿20.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.18
5
163.60%

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

Last update for Popayan: March 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities