Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukushima and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukushima: $1,179 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Fukushima
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Fukushima Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Fukushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,179

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fukushima and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Fukushima and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,179 in Fukushima versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Fukushima $1,179
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,896 in Fukushima versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Fukushima $1,896
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,613 in Fukushima versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Fukushima $2,613
Medellin $3,249

Living in Fukushima costs roughly 30% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fukushima is 13% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.97 ¥940

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-28.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.63 ¥4,667

$46.53 COP 150.3K

-36.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.37 ¥688

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-53.85%

Cappuccino

$2.47 ¥389

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-21.09%

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

$0.97 ¥153

$1.77 COP 5,705

-45.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥105

$1.42 COP 4,601

-52.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 ¥407

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-18.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥501

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-44.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥238

$1.53 COP 4,950

-1.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 ¥242

$2.29 COP 7,401

-33.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 ¥646

$1.94 COP 6,282

111.34%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥329

$3.07 COP 9,905

-31.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 ¥1,611

$9.99 COP 32.3K

2.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.50 ¥1,023

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-37.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 ¥2,698

$13.96 COP 45.1K

22.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 ¥585

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-8.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 ¥351

$1.53 COP 4,937

45.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 ¥464

$2.10 COP 6,797

40.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 ¥644

$2.29 COP 7,409

78.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 ¥374

$2.11 COP 6,813

12.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ¥390

$1.71 COP 5,521

45.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 ¥209

$1.17 COP 3,780

12.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥131

$1.58 COP 5,104

-47.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥629

$3.91 COP 12.6K

2.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.55 ¥1,031

$14.04 COP 45.4K

-53.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥296

$1.76 COP 5,690

6.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥339

$2.71 COP 8,760

-20.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 ¥239

$1.18 COP 3,811

28.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 ¥9,199

$76.3 COP 246.4K

-23.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 ¥561

$1.81 COP 5,836

96.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 ¥466

$2.13 COP 6,878

38.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.07 ¥3,633

$8.13 COP 26.3K

183.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ¥191

$1.28 COP 4,119

-5.47%

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

$22.4K ¥3.5M

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-35.05%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$34.1K COP 110.3M

-56.17%

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

$125 ¥19.6K

$178 COP 574.1K

-29.84%

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

$21.80 ¥3,433

$13.89 COP 44.9K

56.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.57 ¥5,129

$30.74 COP 99.3K

5.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 ¥8,060

$41.94 COP 135.5K

22.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$11.50 ¥1,811

$7.47 COP 24.1K

53.95%

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

$692 ¥109.0K

$790 COP 2.6M

-12.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K ¥2.9M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

48.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 ¥8,267

$86.3 COP 278.9K

-39.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.18 ¥5,383

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-42.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 ¥10.6K

$138 COP 446.9K

-51.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 ¥12.2K

$98.8 COP 319.2K

-21.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 ¥87.5K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-58.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 ¥52.6K

$667 COP 2.2M

-49.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$973 ¥153.2K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-50.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$808 ¥127.3K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-21.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,329 ¥681.8K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

5.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,479 ¥390.5K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

27.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

10.94

-79.80%

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

Last update for Fukushima: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fukushima

$334 28.3%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 99.8% $333

Groceries & Markets

Fukushima

$288 24.5%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 6.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fukushima

$179 15.2%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 24.2% $43

Eating Out

Fukushima

$116 9.9%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 48.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Fukushima

$104 8.8%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 65.6% $68

Getting Around

Fukushima

$83 7%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 12.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Fukushima

$74 6.3%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 23.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $556 in Fukushima and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Fukushima vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $307 per month, with Fukushima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Fukushima

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

01:55 1:55 AM

14 h behind Fukushima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

282,693

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 157 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,626 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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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

Fukushima vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fukushima is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,768 in Fukushima and $2,538 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $556 in Fukushima versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Fukushima – a meal for two runs $30 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,179 in Fukushima versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Fukushima but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Fukushima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Fukushima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.