City comparison
Cost of living in Chiang Mai vs Medellín
One person needs about €705 a month in Chiang Mai and €968 in Medellín, rent included — Chiang Mai is 37% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Medellín the way you live in Chiang Mai on €3,000, you need
€4,119/ month net
37% more than today (+€1,119)
- Chiang Mai today
- Basket €705 · left over €2,295 (77%)
- Medellín at the matched salary
- Basket €968 · left over €3,151 (76%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 134% over in Medellín (adequate) vs 170% in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
The classic low-burn base — unbeatable food costs, with a smoky burning season each spring.
Monthly budget: €705
Sources: Thailand NSO + Bank of Thailand, CPI & provincial wage survey (2025) · 209 community reports
🇨🇴 Medellín
Spring weather year-round and the cheapest nomad hub in the Americas.
Monthly budget: €968
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
Should you move to Chiang Mai or Medellín?
On salary, Medellín pays more for tech roles (€1,300 versus €1,200 a month), so the money left over after costs is €495 in Chiang Mai at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €380 in Chiang Mai against €600 in Medellín. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Chiang Mai at 78 and Medellín at 76 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.