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§ Ledger · Cost of Living

BangkokvsMedellín

At the monthly tier, Medellín runs 26% cheaper than Bangkok: $1,400 against $1,900.

Tier
Bangkok
Medellín
Medellín against Bangkok
Shoestringthe floor
$1,250
$900
−28%cheaper than Bangkok
Monthlythe headline
$1,900
$1,400
−26%cheaper than Bangkok
Comfortthe nicer flat
$2,600
$1,800
−31%cheaper than Bangkok
Bakedeverything in
$3,400
$2,400
−29%cheaper than Bangkok
Bangkok, ThailandGo

Baht-cheap on the ground: street meals from a dollar and a half, cheap fast fiber, and clean transit for pocket change. The swing factor is rent, central Sukhumvit and Sathorn condos have crept up with nomad demand, but drop to On Nut, Phra Khanong, or Ari and you claw back several hundred a month. Budget for the 220 THB foreigner ATM fee, and know that Grab rides and full-time aircon add up faster than you expect in the heat.

+5% YoY (central rents)OPEN THE BANGKOK DOSSIER →
Medellín, ColombiaGo, but stay alert

El Poblado rents have jumped hard with the nomad wave, Laureles and Envigado are the value play now.

+15% YoYOPEN THE MEDELLÍN DOSSIER →

Type a number and each tier reads as a share of it. Nothing is saved, nothing is sent, and we do not guess a figure for you.

Tier
Bangkok
Medellín
Shoestring
—
—
Monthly
—
—
Comfort
—
—
Baked
—
—
§ The receipts

Line by line, category by category.

Housing

PERCENTS ARE AGAINST THE SITE MEDIAN FOR THAT LINE
Bangkok · 3 lines
1BR condo · Sukhumvit / Sathorn (furnished)$900/mo−10% below median
1BR condo · Ari / On Nut / Phra Khanong (furnished)$550/mo−45% below median
Co-living private room (bills in)$600/mo−20% below median
Medellín · 6 lines
1BR apt · El Poblado (center)$1,373/mo+4% above median
1BR apt · Laureles / Envigado$1,200/mo−5% below median
Co-living room$420/mo−55% below median
2BR apt · El Poblado$2,010/mo
2BR apt · Laureles$890/mo
2BR apt · Belén$842/mo

Food

PERCENTS ARE AGAINST THE SITE MEDIAN FOR THAT LINE
Bangkok · 4 lines
Thai lunch · local shophouse$2.50−75% below median
Specialty coffee$3.50−5% below median
Street pad thai or khao man gai$1.60−60% below median
Groceries · solo, monthly$200/mo−35% below median
Medellín · 4 lines
Set lunch (menú del día)$4−60% below median
Restaurant dinner for 2 · mid$30−50% below median
Cappuccino (El Poblado)$2.50−45% below median
Groceries · solo, monthly$220/mo−40% below median

Work

PERCENTS ARE AGAINST THE SITE MEDIAN FOR THAT LINE
Bangkok · 2 lines
Coworking · monthly hot desk$150/mo−10% below median
Coworking day pass$12/day−40% below median
Medellín · 2 lines
Coworking day pass$10/day−50% below median
Coworking · monthly$110/mo−45% below median

Transit

PERCENTS ARE AGAINST THE SITE MEDIAN FOR THAT LINE
Bangkok · 2 lines
BTS / MRT single ride$1.20−15% below median
Rail plus Grab · typical monthly$45/mo−10% below median
Medellín · 2 lines
Metro ride$0.80−55% below median
Uber / DiDi across town$4−52% below median

Life

PERCENTS ARE AGAINST THE SITE MEDIAN FOR THAT LINE
Bangkok · 3 lines
Gym · Fitness First tier$40/mo−10% below median
SIM · 30GB prepaid$12/mo−40% below median
Thai massage · 1 hr$10−80% below median
Medellín · 3 lines
Gym · mid$30/mo−50% below median
SIM / phone · 10GB$12/mo−58% below median
Spanish class · group, hr$8/hr−55% below median

Sources: Nomad Insiders city audits. Bangkok last audited Jul 12, 2026; Medellín last audited Jun 13, 2026. Each line is a real receipt from the city file; the percent beside it compares that line with the median for the same line across every audited city.

§ More pairs

Other cities against Bangkok

Bangkok vs Mexico CityBangkok vs Chiang MaiBangkok vs Bogotá

← The full ledger, all 85 cities

Figures are Nomad Insiders audited snapshots in USD, last reviewed Jul 12, 2026. Rents move; treat anything older than a quarter as a floor, not a quote.