Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Asahikawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Asahikawa: $1,189 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Asahikawa
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Asahikawa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Asahikawa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Asahikawa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,189 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Asahikawa $1,189

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,948 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Asahikawa $1,948

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,706 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Asahikawa $2,706

Medellin costs about 38% more than Asahikawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Asahikawa is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.31 ¥997

28.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$32.58 ¥5,146

44.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.55 ¥719

108.79%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.10 ¥490

-2.90%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.26 ¥199

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.71 ¥112

98.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.87 ¥453

10.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.00 ¥474

91.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.52 ¥241

-0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.52 ¥239

56.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$3.95 ¥624

-55.19%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.26 ¥358

27.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.74 ¥1,696

-5.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.72 ¥1,061

46.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$16.29 ¥2,573

-14.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.20 ¥505

24.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.62 ¥414

-40.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.46 ¥388

-11.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$4.62 ¥730

-52.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$2.73 ¥431

-28.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$2.31 ¥365

-31.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.37 ¥216

-16.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.87 ¥137

42.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.94 ¥622

0.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.66 ¥1,210

78.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.76 ¥277

-5.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$1.87 ¥296

20.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$1.64 ¥259

-28.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$53.1 ¥8,393

45.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.07 ¥485

-58.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$2.68 ¥423

-23.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$21.03 ¥3,321

-59.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.17 ¥185

15.38%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.6K ¥3.6M

50.80%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$13.6K ¥2.2M

154.00%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$154 ¥24.3K

10.11%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$25.29 ¥3,993

-46.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$34.28 ¥5,414

-18.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$55.3 ¥8,733

-20.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.20 ¥1,926

-43.36%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$630 ¥99.5K

26.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$11.3K ¥1.8M

-19.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$51.4 ¥8,114

64.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$27.99 ¥4,420

107.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$59.6 ¥9,418

126.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$102 ¥16.1K

-4.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$611 ¥96.5K

97.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$291 ¥45.9K

120.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$987 ¥155.9K

105.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$809 ¥127.8K

25.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$4,455 ¥703.6K

-6.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,602 ¥411.0K

-26.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.21

395.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Asahikawa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Asahikawa

$291 24.4% 54.7% $351

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Asahikawa

$291 24.5% 2% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Asahikawa

$214 18% 1.1% $2.4

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Asahikawa

$130 10.9% 23.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Asahikawa

$109 9.1% 35.8% $60

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Asahikawa

$76 6.4% 18.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Asahikawa

$80 6.7% 38.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $611 in Asahikawa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $33 in Asahikawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $291 – making Asahikawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

23:30 11:30 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

329,306

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Asahikawa 13,270 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Asahikawa

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

Medellin vs Asahikawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,189 in Asahikawa – Asahikawa comes out roughly 27% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,784 in Asahikawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Asahikawa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $611 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,189 in Asahikawa. That makes Asahikawa about 27% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $630 in Asahikawa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,189 in Asahikawa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Asahikawa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.