Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ichihara and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichihara: $1,194 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Ichihara
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Ichihara Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ichihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,194

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ichihara 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 Ichihara and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,194 in Ichihara versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Ichihara $1,194
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,963 in Ichihara versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Ichihara $1,963
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,731 in Ichihara versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Ichihara $2,731
Medellin $3,190

Living in Ichihara costs roughly 26% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ichihara is 12% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.25 ¥987

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-21.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.68 ¥6,585

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-9.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥784

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-47.79%

Cappuccino

$3.45 ¥545

$3.11 COP 9,866

10.93%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$1.83 COP 5,800

-42.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$1.38 COP 4,360

-46.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 ¥395

$3.05 COP 9,672

-18.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥488

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-43.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ¥221

$1.45 COP 4,600

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ¥263

$2.36 COP 7,496

-29.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 ¥568

$1.68 COP 5,328

114.29%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥315

$2.86 COP 9,077

-30.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 ¥1,641

$10.19 COP 32.3K

1.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 ¥933

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-38.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.55 ¥2,298

$14.04 COP 44.5K

3.63%

Apples (1kg)

$5.75 ¥908

$4.07 COP 12.9K

41.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 ¥438

$1.50 COP 4,742

84.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥445

$2.17 COP 6,891

29.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 ¥650

$2.31 COP 7,310

78.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 ¥409

$1.93 COP 6,113

34.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$1.64 COP 5,196

57.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥201

$1.13 COP 3,571

12.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$1.25 COP 3,954

-36.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ¥612

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-3.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.27 ¥991

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-53.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥271

$1.70 COP 5,384

1.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥316

$2.37 COP 7,525

-15.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.21 COP 3,827

23.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.1 ¥8,389

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-30.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥486

$1.32 COP 4,179

133.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 ¥435

$2.14 COP 6,774

28.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.19 ¥3,190

$8.47 COP 26.8K

138.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.30 COP 4,114

-14.62%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-22.77%

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

$18.4K ¥2.9M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-47.92%

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

$129 ¥20.4K

$172 COP 545.6K

-24.93%

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

$24.13 ¥3,812

$13.37 COP 42.4K

80.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 ¥4,976

$28.73 COP 91.1K

9.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.03 ¥7,272

$45.24 COP 143.5K

1.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 ¥1,964

$6.28 COP 19.9K

97.93%

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

$632 ¥99.9K

$770 COP 2.4M

-17.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥2.3M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

63.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 ¥9,981

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-26.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.21 ¥5,721

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-36.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.6 ¥9,726

$137 COP 432.9K

-54.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 ¥15.9K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

2.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 ¥74.2K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-55.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ¥51.5K

$616 COP 2.0M

-47.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥166.7K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-44.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 ¥128.8K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-20.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,722 ¥746.0K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

16.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,935 ¥305.7K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

15.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

10.94

-75.87%

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

Last update for Ichihara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ichihara

$326 27.3%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 89.1% $290

Groceries & Markets

Ichihara

$287 24.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 2.6% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ichihara

$185 15.5%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 15.9% $29

Eating Out

Ichihara

$132 11.1%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 27.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Ichihara

$118 9.9%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 44.6% $52

Getting Around

Ichihara

$76 6.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 22.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Ichihara

$71 5.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 18.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $470 in Ichihara and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Ichihara vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $295 per month, with Ichihara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ichihara

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:38 9:38 PM

07:38 7:38 AM

14 h behind Ichihara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,524

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Ichihara Medellin 14,060 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ichihara
Medellin

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

Ichihara vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ichihara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,791 in Ichihara and $2,421 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: $470 in Ichihara versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $632 in Ichihara versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,194 in Ichihara versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ichihara but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Ichihara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ichihara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Ichihara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.