Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Popayan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,398 in Popayan, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Popayan
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Popayan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Popayan

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,398

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Popayan 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 Popayan and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,398 per month in Popayan vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Popayan $1,398
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,091 per month in Popayan vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Popayan $2,091
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,783 per month in Popayan vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Popayan $2,783
Chiang Mai $1,999

Popayan costs about 49% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Popayan sits 3% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.83 COP 25.3K

$2.13 ฿71.4

267.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.74 COP 151.0K

$18.62 ฿623

151.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 COP 31.7K

$5.60 ฿187

75.36%

Cappuccino

$2.77 COP 8,933

$1.66 ฿55.6

66.87%

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

$1.36 COP 4,405

$0.65 ฿21.63

109.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 COP 2,931

$0.30 ฿10.20

203.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 COP 9,246

$2.32 ฿77.7

23.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 COP 13.8K

$3.67 ฿123

16.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,839

$2.02 ฿67.4

-25.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 COP 6,699

$1.41 ฿47.08

46.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,416

$1.39 ฿46.54

43.17%

Eggs

$3.31 COP 10.7K

$2.37 ฿79.2

39.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 COP 26.7K

$16.52 ฿552

-49.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 COP 36.2K

$2.67 ฿89.3

319.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 COP 45.8K

$9.02 ฿302

57.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 COP 12.7K

$2.40 ฿80.2

63.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,812

$1.04 ฿34.82

43.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 COP 5,867

$1.66 ฿55.5

9.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 COP 5,857

$1.56 ฿52.1

16.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,225

$1.24 ฿41.39

30.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 COP 5,460

$1.09 ฿36.34

55.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 COP 3,368

$0.76 ฿25.47

36.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 COP 4,327

$0.51 ฿17.19

162.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 COP 13.0K

$4.12 ฿138

-2.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.00 COP 42.0K

$17.93 ฿600

-27.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 COP 5,192

$1.62 ฿54.3

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 COP 7,326

$2.82 ฿94.4

-19.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$0.93 ฿31.25

25.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.8 COP 183.5K

$52.9 ฿1,769

7.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$1.18 ฿39.35

44.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,958

$0.17 ฿5.73

1164.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 COP 26.3K

$1.81 ฿60.6

350.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 COP 4,302

$1.47 ฿49.25

-9.52%

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

$36.6K COP 118.4M

$21.0K ฿702.6K

74.41%

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

$37.8K COP 122.1M

$26.5K ฿886.7K

42.51%

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

$111 COP 360.0K

$62.6 ฿2,092

78.16%

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

$14.64 COP 47.3K

$11.60 ฿388

26.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 COP 88.7K

$20.30 ฿679

35.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.02 COP 126.0K

$37.88 ฿1,267

3.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 COP 21.8K

$6.51 ฿218

3.84%

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

$507 COP 1.6M

$727 ฿24.3K

-30.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K COP 33.8M

$16.6K ฿554.2K

-36.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.7 COP 260.7K

$53.5 ฿1,790

50.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.1 COP 187.6K

$24.80 ฿829

134.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 COP 385.6K

$90.4 ฿3,023

32.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 COP 334.8K

$72.0 ฿2,407

44.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 COP 2.6M

$481 ฿16.1K

66.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$506 COP 1.6M

$310 ฿10.4K

63.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 COP 4.4M

$1,058 ฿35.4K

27.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 COP 2.5M

$659 ฿22.0K

18.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,078 COP 6.7M

$2,418 ฿80.8K

-14.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,794 COP 5.8M

$1,609 ฿53.8K

11.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

115.44%

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

Last update for Popayan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Popayan

$506 36.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 38.8% $196

Groceries & Markets

Popayan

$292 20.9%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 19% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Popayan

$163 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 33.5% $55

Eating Out

Popayan

$157 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 51.3% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Popayan

$154 11%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 38.5% $59

Getting Around

Popayan

$74 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 20.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Popayan

$53 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 3.1% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $802 in Popayan 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 Popayan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Popayan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

14:43 2:43 PM

12 h ahead of Popayan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

318,059

127,240

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Popayan Chiang Mai 17,610 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Popayan
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

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

Popayan costs about 49% 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 $2,098 per month in Popayan 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 $802 in Popayan.

Kindergarten costs $507 per month in Popayan 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 23% more in Popayan, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,398 in Popayan 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 $1,398 in Popayan. 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 33% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.