Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan de Pasto and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in San Juan de Pasto
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San Juan de Pasto Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,463

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,463 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $1,463
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $2,144
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,825 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $2,825
Chiang Mai $1,999

San Juan de Pasto costs about 56% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Juan de Pasto sits 8% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 COP 28.6K

$2.13 ฿71.6

314.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 152.4K

$18.62 ฿625

152.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 COP 34.0K

$5.60 ฿188

87.50%

Cappuccino

$2.89 COP 9,377

$1.66 ฿55.8

74.10%

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

$1.42 COP 4,610

$0.65 ฿21.70

118.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 COP 3,911

$0.30 ฿10.23

303.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 COP 11.1K

$2.32 ฿77.9

48.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 COP 11.8K

$3.67 ฿123

-0.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 COP 5,218

$2.02 ฿67.6

-20.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 COP 7,737

$1.41 ฿47.24

69.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 COP 6,675

$1.39 ฿46.69

48.20%

Eggs

$3.46 COP 11.2K

$2.37 ฿79.4

45.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 COP 23.2K

$16.52 ฿554

-56.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.11 COP 32.8K

$2.67 ฿89.6

278.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.84 COP 38.4K

$9.02 ฿303

31.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 COP 12.1K

$2.40 ฿80.5

56.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,438

$1.04 ฿34.93

31.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,551

$1.66 ฿55.7

3.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 COP 6,029

$1.56 ฿52.3

19.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 COP 5,812

$1.24 ฿41.52

44.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 COP 5,584

$1.09 ฿36.46

57.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 COP 3,331

$0.76 ฿25.56

35.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,267

$0.51 ฿17.25

158.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 COP 15.3K

$4.12 ฿138

14.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 COP 40.8K

$17.93 ฿602

-29.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 COP 4,126

$1.62 ฿54.5

-21.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 COP 8,448

$2.82 ฿94.7

-7.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 COP 3,597

$0.93 ฿31.35

19.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.9 COP 216.7K

$52.9 ฿1,775

26.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 COP 5,284

$1.18 ฿39.48

38.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 COP 6,773

$0.17 ฿5.75

1129.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 COP 25.4K

$1.81 ฿60.8

333.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,172

$1.47 ฿49.41

-12.24%

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

$39.0K COP 126.5M

$21.0K ฿705.0K

85.83%

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

$33.3K COP 107.9M

$26.5K ฿889.6K

25.60%

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

$129 COP 416.9K

$62.6 ฿2,099

105.74%

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

$13.90 COP 45.0K

$11.60 ฿389

19.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.01 COP 97.2K

$20.30 ฿681

47.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.00 COP 106.9K

$37.88 ฿1,271

-12.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 COP 25.4K

$6.51 ฿218

20.43%

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

$581 COP 1.9M

$727 ฿24.4K

-20.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K COP 44.9M

$16.6K ฿556.1K

-16.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 COP 304.2K

$53.5 ฿1,796

75.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.34 COP 159.8K

$24.80 ฿832

98.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 COP 395.6K

$90.4 ฿3,032

35.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 COP 307.4K

$72.0 ฿2,415

31.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$780 COP 2.5M

$481 ฿16.1K

62.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 COP 1.8M

$310 ฿10.4K

76.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 COP 4.7M

$1,058 ฿35.5K

37.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 COP 2.6M

$659 ฿22.1K

20.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,112 COP 6.8M

$2,418 ฿81.1K

-12.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,582 COP 5.1M

$1,609 ฿54.0K

-1.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 San Juan de Pasto: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan de Pasto

$546 37.3%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 43.2% $236

Groceries & Markets

San Juan de Pasto

$278 19%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 15% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan de Pasto

$173 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 45.3% $78

Eating Out

San Juan de Pasto

$172 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 55.5% $95

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan de Pasto

$162 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 33.2% $54

Getting Around

San Juan de Pasto

$83 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 29.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan de Pasto

$49 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 4.6% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $780 in San Juan de Pasto 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 San Juan de Pasto versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $278 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 San Juan de Pasto

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

07:31 7:31 AM

12 h ahead of San Juan de Pasto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

392,930

127,240

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.09 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 3,239 COP (10,000 COP = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 3,620 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 33.55 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.49 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Juan de Pasto Chiang Mai 17,750 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan de Pasto
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

San Juan de Pasto vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan de Pasto costs about 56% 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 $2,194 per month in San Juan de Pasto 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 $780 in San Juan de Pasto.

Kindergarten costs $581 per month in San Juan de Pasto 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 18% more in San Juan de Pasto, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto 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 $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 36% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.