Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koriyama and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Koriyama: $1,207 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Koriyama
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,207
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Koriyama versus $1,614 in Medellin.

  • Koriyama $1,207
  • Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,956 in Koriyama versus $2,402 in Medellin.

  • Koriyama $1,956
  • Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,705 in Koriyama versus $3,190 in Medellin.

  • Koriyama $2,705
  • Medellin $3,190

Living in Koriyama costs roughly 25% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koriyama is 11% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Koriyama
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.74 ¥1,064
$7.93 COP 25.2K
-15.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.60 ¥5,308
$46.13 COP 146.3K
-27.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.13 ¥811
$9.50 COP 30.1K
-46.00%
Cappuccino
$3.12 ¥493
$3.11 COP 9,866
0.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 ¥209
$1.83 COP 5,800
-27.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 ¥126
$1.38 COP 4,360
-42.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ¥400
$3.05 COP 9,672
-17.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29 ¥519
$5.50 COP 17.4K
-40.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Koriyama
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 ¥201
$1.45 COP 4,600
-12.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.55 ¥245
$2.36 COP 7,496
-34.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.75 ¥751
$1.68 COP 5,328
182.74%
Eggs
$1.95 ¥308
$2.86 COP 9,077
-31.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.41 ¥1,803
$10.19 COP 32.3K
11.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.66 ¥895
$9.53 COP 30.2K
-40.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.63 ¥2,786
$14.04 COP 44.5K
25.57%
Apples (1kg)
$3.20 ¥506
$4.07 COP 12.9K
-21.38%
Banana (1kg)
$2.19 ¥347
$1.50 COP 4,742
46.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.13 ¥494
$2.17 COP 6,891
44.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.80 ¥600
$2.31 COP 7,310
64.50%
Potato (1kg)
$2.56 ¥405
$1.93 COP 6,113
32.64%
Onion (1kg)
$2.79 ¥441
$1.64 COP 5,196
70.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 ¥189
$1.13 COP 3,571
6.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 ¥144
$1.25 COP 3,954
-27.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ¥654
$3.99 COP 12.6K
3.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.07 ¥1,117
$13.35 COP 42.3K
-47.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 ¥299
$1.70 COP 5,384
11.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 ¥328
$2.37 COP 7,525
-12.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Koriyama
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.37 ¥217
$1.21 COP 3,827
13.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.0 ¥7,902
$76.5 COP 242.5K
-34.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.79 ¥441
$1.32 COP 4,179
111.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.66 ¥420
$2.14 COP 6,774
24.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.78 ¥3,125
$8.47 COP 26.8K
133.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.99 ¥156
$1.30 COP 4,114
-23.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.3K ¥3.5M
$28.0K COP 88.7M
-20.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$14.5K ¥2.3M
$35.4K COP 112.3M
-58.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koriyama
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$148 ¥23.4K
$172 COP 545.6K
-13.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.67 ¥3,423
$13.37 COP 42.4K
62.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.47 ¥5,288
$28.73 COP 91.1K
16.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Koriyama
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.5 ¥9,090
$45.24 COP 143.5K
27.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.04 COP 54.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.40 ¥1,801
$6.28 COP 19.9K
81.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Koriyama
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$547 ¥86.4K
$770 COP 2.4M
-28.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.6K ¥2.0M
$9,011 COP 28.6M
40.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Koriyama
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.1 ¥8,864
$86.4 COP 274.0K
-35.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.02 ¥5,375
$57.1 COP 181.1K
-40.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$68.8 ¥10.9K
$137 COP 432.9K
-49.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.6 ¥12.4K
$97.9 COP 310.4K
-19.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Koriyama
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$468 ¥74.0K
$1,055 COP 3.3M
-55.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$322 ¥50.9K
$616 COP 2.0M
-47.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,130 ¥178.6K
$1,892 COP 6.0M
-40.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$828 ¥130.9K
$1,023 COP 3.2M
-19.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,822 ¥603.8K
$4,059 COP 12.9M
-5.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,545 ¥244.1K
$1,678 COP 5.3M
-7.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Koriyama
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$652 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 Koriyama: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Koriyama
$322
Medellin
$616 91% $293
Groceries & Markets
Koriyama
$288
Medellin
$295 2.3% $6.7
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koriyama
$203
Medellin
$214 5.4% $11
Eating Out
Koriyama
$134
Medellin
$168 25.3% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Koriyama
$107
Medellin
$170 59.1% $63
Sport & Entertainment
Koriyama
$80
Medellin
$58 28% $23
Getting Around
Koriyama
$72
Medellin
$93 30.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $468 in Koriyama and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in Koriyama vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $295 per month, with Koriyama cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Koriyama
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
17:42 5:42 PM
03:42 3:42 AM
14 h behind Koriyama
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
327,692
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Koriyama Medellin 13,890 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Koriyama
  • 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
Koriyama vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Koriyama and in Medellin?
Koriyama and Medellin differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $1,614 including rent). Koriyama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Koriyama compared to Medellin?
You'd need roughly $1,810 in Koriyama 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Koriyama and in Medellin?
Rent for a central apartment: $468 in Koriyama versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Koriyama and in Medellin?
A monthly transit pass in Koriyama runs roughly 53% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Koriyama and Medellin?
Childcare runs $547 in Koriyama versus $770 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,207 in Koriyama versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koriyama but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Koriyama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Koriyama and Medellin?
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.
Is Koriyama or Medellin safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Koriyama 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.
Where should expats move: Koriyama or Medellin?
Expats usually find Koriyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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