Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ichikawa and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichikawa: $1,167 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ichikawa
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Ichikawa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ichikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,167

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Ichikawa $1,167
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,876 in Ichikawa versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Ichikawa $1,876
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,585 in Ichikawa versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Ichikawa $2,585
Medellin $3,190

Living in Ichikawa costs roughly 28% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ichikawa is 14% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 ¥811

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-35.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.09 ¥4,912

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-32.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.30 ¥680

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-54.74%

Cappuccino

$2.23 ¥352

$3.11 COP 9,866

-28.30%

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

$0.72 ¥113

$1.83 COP 5,800

-60.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥55.7

$1.38 COP 4,360

-74.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 ¥395

$3.05 COP 9,672

-18.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥502

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-42.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ¥218

$1.45 COP 4,600

-4.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥261

$2.36 COP 7,496

-30.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 ¥578

$1.68 COP 5,328

117.86%

Eggs

$1.97 ¥311

$2.86 COP 9,077

-31.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 ¥1,663

$10.19 COP 32.3K

3.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 ¥926

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-38.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.38 ¥2,272

$14.04 COP 44.5K

2.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.53 ¥874

$4.07 COP 12.9K

35.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$1.50 COP 4,742

86.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥444

$2.17 COP 6,891

29.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 ¥673

$2.31 COP 7,310

84.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$1.93 COP 6,113

35.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$1.64 COP 5,196

56.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥202

$1.13 COP 3,571

13.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$1.25 COP 3,954

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 ¥590

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-6.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.38 ¥1,007

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-52.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ¥281

$1.70 COP 5,384

4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ¥320

$2.37 COP 7,525

-14.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.21 COP 3,827

11.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 ¥9,457

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-21.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$1.32 COP 4,179

137.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 ¥432

$2.14 COP 6,774

27.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.59 ¥3,253

$8.47 COP 26.8K

143.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.30 COP 4,114

-19.23%

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

$21.2K ¥3.4M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-24.23%

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

$18.5K ¥2.9M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-47.68%

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

$132 ¥20.8K

$172 COP 545.6K

-23.39%

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

$23.97 ¥3,788

$13.37 COP 42.4K

79.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.98 ¥5,052

$28.73 COP 91.1K

11.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.04 ¥7,431

$45.24 COP 143.5K

3.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 ¥2,022

$6.28 COP 19.9K

103.82%

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

$642 ¥101.4K

$770 COP 2.4M

-16.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ¥2.3M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

61.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 ¥9,801

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-28.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.27 ¥5,889

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-34.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 ¥9,559

$137 COP 432.9K

-55.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

3.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ¥78.3K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-53.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 ¥50.1K

$616 COP 2.0M

-48.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 ¥187.3K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-37.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 ¥120.5K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-25.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,455 ¥703.9K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

9.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,881 ¥297.2K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

12.06%

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 Ichikawa: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ichikawa

$317 27.1%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 94.4% $299

Groceries & Markets

Ichikawa

$287 24.6%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 2.8% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ichikawa

$188 16.1%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 14.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Ichikawa

$118 10.1%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 44.5% $52

Eating Out

Ichikawa

$104 8.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 62.1% $65

Getting Around

Ichikawa

$82 7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 13.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ichikawa

$73 6.2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 20.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Ichikawa and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Ichikawa vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $295 per month, with Ichikawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ichikawa

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

05:01 5:01 AM

14 h behind Ichikawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

496,676

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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Between locations

Ichikawa Medellin 14,050 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ichikawa
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

Ichikawa vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ichikawa and Medellin differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,167 vs $1,614 including rent). Ichikawa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,751 in Ichikawa 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: $495 in Ichikawa versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Ichikawa – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ichikawa but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Ichikawa 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.

Safety-wise, Ichikawa and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ichikawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.