Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kawasaki and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawasaki: $1,476 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kawasaki
Learn more

Kawasaki Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,476

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,476 per month in Kawasaki vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Kawasaki $1,476
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,239 per month in Kawasaki vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Kawasaki $2,239
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,003 per month in Kawasaki vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Kawasaki $3,003
Medellin $3,186

Kawasaki is about 10% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kawasaki and Medellin sit above the global median – Kawasaki by 8%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.43 ¥1,171

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-8.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.97 ¥5,981

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-19.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥785

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-47.47%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ¥407

$3.01 COP 9,722

-13.95%

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

$1.57 ¥248

$1.80 COP 5,801

-12.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥144

$1.41 COP 4,554

-35.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 ¥508

$3.18 COP 10.2K

1.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ¥493

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-45.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥238

$1.51 COP 4,869

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥246

$2.38 COP 7,667

-34.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ¥663

$1.77 COP 5,712

137.85%

Eggs

$2.15 ¥339

$2.89 COP 9,320

-25.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 ¥1,802

$10.19 COP 32.9K

12.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 ¥1,058

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-31.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.41 ¥2,585

$13.99 COP 45.1K

17.30%

Apples (1kg)

$6.02 ¥949

$3.97 COP 12.8K

51.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ¥449

$1.55 COP 5,005

83.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.99 ¥785

$2.18 COP 7,039

128.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥816

$2.18 COP 7,041

137.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ¥535

$1.96 COP 6,328

73.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 ¥486

$1.59 COP 5,125

94.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥188

$1.15 COP 3,694

3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥122

$1.24 COP 4,009

-37.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ¥625

$3.96 COP 12.8K

0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.29 ¥1,463

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-32.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ¥377

$1.66 COP 5,352

43.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ¥417

$2.26 COP 7,281

17.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.17 COP 3,766

64.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.5 ¥7,948

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-34.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ¥488

$1.27 COP 4,089

144.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 ¥504

$2.05 COP 6,603

56.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.58 ¥2,926

$8.55 COP 27.6K

117.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥168

$1.35 COP 4,343

-20.74%

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

$22.1K ¥3.5M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-35.08%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-55.71%

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

$129 ¥20.2K

$170 COP 547.0K

-24.24%

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

$23.08 ¥3,635

$13.55 COP 43.7K

70.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.16 ¥4,908

$28.07 COP 90.5K

11.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 ¥8,790

$43.70 COP 140.9K

27.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.47 ¥1,019

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-62.36%

Cinema Ticket

$12.62 ¥1,989

$6.91 COP 22.3K

82.63%

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

$695 ¥109.5K

$797 COP 2.6M

-12.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

63.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 ¥8,065

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-39.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.12 ¥5,217

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-42.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.4 ¥10.5K

$135 COP 435.2K

-50.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.4 ¥11.1K

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-28.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥121.5K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-36.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 ¥89.0K

$642 COP 2.1M

-11.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 ¥201.7K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-36.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ¥158.5K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-0.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,670 ¥735.7K

$4,170 COP 13.4M

11.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,220 ¥507.3K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

68.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,608 ¥410.7K

$657 COP 2.1M

296.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

10.94

-81.54%

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

Last update for Kawasaki: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kawasaki

$565 38.3%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 13.6% $77

Groceries & Markets

Kawasaki

$333 22.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 10.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kawasaki

$183 12.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 15.6% $29

Eating Out

Kawasaki

$138 9.3%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 23.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Kawasaki

$99 6.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 69.8% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Kawasaki

$81 5.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 29% $24

Getting Around

Kawasaki

$77 5.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 21.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $771 in Kawasaki versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kawasaki are about 4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Kawasaki versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $333 in Kawasaki vs $297 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kawasaki

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

14:34 2:34 PM

14 h behind Kawasaki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,538,262

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kawasaki Medellin 14,080 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Kawasaki
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

Kawasaki vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 11% more than Kawasaki, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,214 per month in Kawasaki and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kawasaki, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $771 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Kawasaki and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,476 in Kawasaki and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Kawasaki about 10% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,476 in Kawasaki and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kawasaki costs $1,476 versus $1,639 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.