Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kumamoto and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumamoto: $1,283 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
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Kumamoto Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,283 in Kumamoto versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Kumamoto $1,283
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,977 in Kumamoto versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Kumamoto $1,977
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,670 in Kumamoto versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Kumamoto $2,670
Medellin $3,199

Living in Kumamoto costs roughly 21% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kumamoto is 5% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.13 ¥1,126

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-14.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.86 ¥5,034

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-32.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 ¥942

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-35.50%

Cappuccino

$3.22 ¥508

$3.05 COP 9,676

5.57%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$1.80 COP 5,707

-41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥111

$1.38 COP 4,382

-49.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.74 ¥591

$3.24 COP 10.3K

15.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥357

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-59.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥215

$1.50 COP 4,760

-9.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 ¥299

$2.37 COP 7,508

-19.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.64 ¥1,050

$1.70 COP 5,377

290.59%

Eggs

$1.86 ¥294

$2.96 COP 9,379

-37.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.81 ¥2,814

$10.22 COP 32.4K

74.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 ¥865

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-43.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.87 ¥2,981

$13.90 COP 44.1K

35.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 ¥587

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-9.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 ¥294

$1.53 COP 4,839

21.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 ¥439

$2.22 COP 7,052

25.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ¥530

$2.27 COP 7,194

48.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 ¥342

$1.99 COP 6,311

8.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$1.67 COP 5,285

56.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ¥164

$1.18 COP 3,742

-11.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥143

$1.24 COP 3,919

-26.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 ¥623

$3.87 COP 12.3K

1.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 ¥887

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-59.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥268

$1.66 COP 5,256

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥290

$2.40 COP 7,615

-23.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥236

$1.24 COP 3,944

20.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.5 ¥8,291

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-32.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ¥606

$1.28 COP 4,044

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 ¥317

$2.15 COP 6,803

-6.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.05 ¥2,852

$8.37 COP 26.5K

115.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.35 COP 4,288

-21.48%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-36.71%

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

$17.6K ¥2.8M

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-49.35%

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

$210 ¥33.2K

$167 COP 528.4K

26.26%

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

$24.28 ¥3,835

$13.62 COP 43.2K

78.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.30 ¥5,261

$29.12 COP 92.3K

14.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 ¥8,359

$45.09 COP 143.0K

17.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 ¥1,729

$6.97 COP 22.1K

57.10%

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

$126 ¥20.0K

$790 COP 2.5M

-83.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$9,041 COP 28.7M

37.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.56 ¥7,672

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-44.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.99 ¥4,106

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-55.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.3 ¥10.3K

$139 COP 440.7K

-53.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.20 ¥7,457

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-52.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 ¥85.4K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-47.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$620 COP 2.0M

-47.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 ¥176.8K

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-40.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 ¥114.2K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-28.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,158 ¥656.8K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

4.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,735 ¥274.1K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

1.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

10.94

-81.99%

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

Last update for Kumamoto: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kumamoto

$328 25.6%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 88.8% $291

Groceries & Markets

Kumamoto

$312 24.3%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 4.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kumamoto

$268 20.9%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 21.9% $59

Eating Out

Kumamoto

$144 11.2%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 18.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Kumamoto

$84 6.6%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 105% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Kumamoto

$75 5.8%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 21.1% $16

Getting Around

Kumamoto

$72 5.6%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 31.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $541 in Kumamoto and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Kumamoto vs $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $298, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

14:57 2:57 PM

14 h behind Kumamoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

738,865

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 21, 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 21, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Kumamoto Medellin 14,860 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Kumamoto
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

Kumamoto vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kumamoto and Medellin differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,283 vs $1,625 including rent). Kumamoto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,924 in Kumamoto and $2,437 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: $541 in Kumamoto versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kumamoto runs roughly 49% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $126 in Kumamoto versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,283 in Kumamoto versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kumamoto but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Kumamoto 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, Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.