Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,447 in Santa Marta, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Marta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,447

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,447 per month in Santa Marta vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,447
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,693 per month in Santa Marta vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,693
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,939 per month in Santa Marta vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,939
Chiang Mai $1,979

Santa Marta costs about 55% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Santa Marta sits 6% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

Cappuccino

$3.86 COP 12.5K

$1.67 ฿56.5

131.14%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 COP 5,139

$1.95 ฿65.8

-18.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 COP 6,992

$1.44 ฿48.48

50.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 COP 3,924

$1.33 ฿45.04

-8.27%

Eggs

$2.46 COP 7,942

$2.28 ฿77.1

7.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 COP 27.1K

$16.45 ฿555

-49.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 COP 30.9K

$2.78 ฿93.9

244.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 COP 36.4K

$9.31 ฿314

20.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.3K

$2.35 ฿79.4

75.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 COP 3,359

$0.97 ฿32.80

7.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 COP 3,600

$1.60 ฿53.9

-30.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,433

$1.50 ฿50.6

32.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 COP 2,990

$1.28 ฿43.12

-27.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,972

$1.10 ฿37.19

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 COP 3,085

$0.71 ฿23.82

35.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 COP 1,989

$0.49 ฿16.37

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 COP 13.3K

$4.14 ฿140

-0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 COP 56.6K

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 COP 4,684

$1.61 ฿54.5

-9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,533

$2.78 ฿94.0

-49.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 COP 3,108

$0.87 ฿29.31

10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 COP 9,921

$1.16 ฿39.06

164.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,352

$1.45 ฿48.90

-6.90%

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

$23.6K COP 76.2M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

12.07%

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

$34.2K COP 110.3M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

26.85%

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

$159 COP 512.4K

$62.2 ฿2,098

155.25%

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

$9.23 COP 29.8K

$12.17 ฿411

-24.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.79 COP 70.3K

$20.12 ฿679

8.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 COP 101.2K

$37.31 ฿1,259

-15.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 COP 17.0K

$6.49 ฿219

-18.80%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K COP 35.1M

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-26.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 279.0K

$53.4 ฿1,801

61.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 COP 202.7K

$24.64 ฿831

154.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 COP 299.0K

$91.5 ฿3,087

1.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.7 COP 279.8K

$71.9 ฿2,428

20.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 COP 3.5M

$482 ฿16.3K

127.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$752 COP 2.4M

$309 ฿10.4K

143.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 COP 3.5M

$1,006 ฿33.9K

8.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$633 ฿21.4K

-2.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,110 COP 3.6M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-53.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 COP 3.8M

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-25.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$526 COP 1.7M

$590 ฿19.9K

-10.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

5.57

250.81%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

–

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

–

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

–

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

–

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Eating Out

Santa Marta

–

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Getting Around

Santa Marta

–

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

–

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,096 in Santa Marta versus $482 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.

Salaries run about 12% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

09:55 9:55 AM

12 h ahead of Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Marta Chiang Mai 16,590 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Marta
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

Santa Marta vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Marta costs about 55% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,171 per month in Santa Marta 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 $482 there versus $1,096 in Santa Marta.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,447 in Santa Marta and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 35% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Santa Marta, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,447 in Santa Marta and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,447 in Santa Marta. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.