Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Japan: $1,332 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇯🇵 Japan
$1,332
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,589
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Japan is 4.2% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 16.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Japan is 6.9% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 14.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Japan
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.27 ¥993
$8.01 COP 25.5K
-21.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.23 ¥5,101
$46.55 COP 148.3K
-30.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.08 ¥805
$9.43 COP 30.1K
-46.13%
Cappuccino
$3.11 ¥492
$2.91 COP 9,277
6.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 ¥178
$1.75 COP 5,585
-36.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 ¥117
$1.32 COP 4,218
-43.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.25 ¥515
$3.13 COP 9,969
3.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 ¥590
$5.55 COP 17.7K
-32.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Japan
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 ¥236
$1.41 COP 4,495
5.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ¥229
$2.44 COP 7,777
-40.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.94 ¥782
$1.63 COP 5,191
203.07%
Eggs
$2.11 ¥333
$2.82 COP 8,990
-25.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.44 ¥1,810
$9.69 COP 30.9K
18.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.32 ¥1,000
$9.32 COP 29.7K
-32.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.80 ¥2,817
$13.46 COP 42.9K
32.24%
Apples (1kg)
$4.80 ¥760
$4.00 COP 12.8K
20.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.45 ¥388
$1.48 COP 4,719
65.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.29 ¥680
$2.12 COP 6,768
102.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.52 ¥715
$2.25 COP 7,178
100.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.70 ¥428
$1.91 COP 6,092
41.36%
Onion (1kg)
$2.70 ¥427
$1.62 COP 5,160
66.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ¥211
$1.15 COP 3,658
16.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 ¥140
$1.26 COP 4,021
-29.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.88 ¥614
$3.82 COP 12.2K
1.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.49 ¥1,186
$13.11 COP 41.8K
-42.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.90 ¥301
$1.60 COP 5,083
18.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 ¥415
$2.26 COP 7,188
15.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Japan
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.36 ¥215
$1.17 COP 3,731
16.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$57.6 ¥9,122
$75.0 COP 239.0K
-23.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.66 ¥578
$1.27 COP 4,056
188.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.16 ¥499
$2.05 COP 6,531
54.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.05 ¥3,174
$8.20 COP 26.1K
144.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 ¥170
$1.27 COP 4,046
-15.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K ¥3.4M
$26.8K COP 85.3M
-19.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.1K ¥2.5M
$34.4K COP 109.6M
-53.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Japan
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$156 ¥24.7K
$162 COP 516.9K
-3.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.21 ¥3,831
$13.12 COP 41.8K
84.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.72 ¥5,178
$28.09 COP 89.5K
16.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Japan
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.6 ¥8,326
$44.33 COP 141.2K
18.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.92 ¥2,836
$16.33 COP 52.0K
9.74%
Cinema Ticket
$12.84 ¥2,032
$6.09 COP 19.4K
110.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Japan
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$544 ¥86.2K
$764 COP 2.4M
-28.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K ¥1.9M
$8,904 COP 28.4M
35.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Japan
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.82 ¥7,409
$85.0 COP 270.8K
-44.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.43 ¥4,657
$57.5 COP 183.2K
-48.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.8 ¥9,774
$132 COP 419.8K
-53.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.2 ¥12.4K
$95.8 COP 305.1K
-18.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Japan
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$569 ¥90.1K
$1,028 COP 3.3M
-44.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$390 ¥61.7K
$604 COP 1.9M
-35.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,310 ¥207.4K
$1,802 COP 5.7M
-27.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$770 ¥121.8K
$993 COP 3.2M
-22.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,494 ¥869.3K
$3,921 COP 12.5M
40.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,810 ¥444.6K
$1,639 COP 5.2M
71.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Japan
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,077 ¥328.7K
$626 COP 2.0M
231.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.13
10.94
-80.53%

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

Last update for Japan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Japan
$390
Medellin
$604 54.9% $214
Groceries & Markets
Japan
$315
Medellin
$288 8.3% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Japan
$213
Medellin
$203 4.5% $9.5
Eating Out
Japan
$134
Medellin
$166 24.2% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Japan
$97
Medellin
$166 71.1% $69
Getting Around
Japan
$83
Medellin
$91 10.6% $8.7
Sport & Entertainment
Japan
$78
Medellin
$57 27.8% $22
Good to know
🇯🇵 Japan
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
21:14 9:14 PM
07:14 7:14 AM
14 h behind Japan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
125,440,000
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Japan Medellin 14,070 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Japan
  • 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

Japan vs other spots: cost of living compared

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