Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Beppu

For one person, living is cheaper in Beppu: $979 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,625
/mo nomad
Beppu
🇯🇵 Japan
$979
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Beppu

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 Beppu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $979 in Beppu, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,625
  • Beppu $979

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,443 in Beppu, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,412
  • Beppu $1,443

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,907 in Beppu, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,199
  • Beppu $1,907

Medellin costs about 66% more than Beppu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Beppu is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Beppu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.30 COP 26.3K
$6.32 ¥999
31.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.91 COP 148.7K
$23.30 ¥3,681
101.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.24 COP 29.3K
$4.45 ¥703
107.64%
Cappuccino
$3.05 COP 9,676
$3.03 ¥479
0.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,707
$1.01 ¥160
78.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,382
$0.77 ¥121
79.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 COP 10.3K
$3.21 ¥507
0.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.56 COP 17.6K
$2.22 ¥351
150.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Beppu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 COP 4,760
$1.45 ¥229
3.45%
White Bread (500g)
$2.37 COP 7,508
$1.60 ¥253
48.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.70 COP 5,377
$4.42 ¥699
-61.54%
Eggs
$2.96 COP 9,379
$1.53 ¥242
93.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.22 COP 32.4K
$8.99 ¥1,421
13.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.74 COP 30.9K
$5.52 ¥871
76.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.90 COP 44.1K
$9.95 ¥1,571
39.70%
Apples (1kg)
$4.13 COP 13.1K
$3.55 ¥561
16.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,839
$1.78 ¥281
-14.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 COP 7,052
$2.89 ¥457
-23.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.27 COP 7,194
$3.36 ¥531
-32.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 COP 6,311
$2.12 ¥335
-6.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 COP 5,285
$2.18 ¥345
-23.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 COP 3,742
$1.06 ¥168
11.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,919
$0.94 ¥148
31.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.87 COP 12.3K
$3.80 ¥600
1.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.78 COP 43.7K
$6.42 ¥1,014
114.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,256
$1.43 ¥225
16.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 COP 7,615
$1.74 ¥275
37.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Beppu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 COP 3,944
$2.53 ¥400
-50.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.2 COP 248.0K
$31.33 ¥4,949
149.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 COP 4,044
$4.11 ¥650
-68.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.15 COP 6,803
$2.30 ¥363
-6.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.37 COP 26.5K
$17.70 ¥2,797
-52.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,288
$1.11 ¥175
21.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K COP 110.2M
$11.3K ¥1.8M
208.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 110.0M
$15.2K ¥2.4M
128.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Beppu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 COP 528.4K
$149 ¥23.6K
11.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.62 COP 43.2K
$12.72 ¥2,010
7.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.12 COP 92.3K
$28.21 ¥4,457
3.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Beppu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.09 COP 143.0K
$44.21 ¥6,985
1.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.18 COP 54.5K
$3.10 ¥490
454.19%
Cinema Ticket
$6.97 COP 22.1K
$6.33 ¥1,000
10.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Beppu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$188 ¥29.8K
319.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,041 COP 28.7M
$12.1K ¥1.9M
-25.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Beppu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.8 COP 278.4K
$27.92 ¥4,411
214.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.2 COP 184.4K
$22.03 ¥3,481
163.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$139 COP 440.7K
$66.0 ¥10.4K
110.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.9 COP 313.5K
$38.27 ¥6,046
158.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Beppu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 COP 3.3M
$306 ¥48.3K
236.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$620 COP 2.0M
$233 ¥36.7K
166.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,881 COP 6.0M
$573 ¥90.5K
228.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 COP 3.2M
$377 ¥59.6K
167.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,988 COP 12.6M
$4,209 ¥665.0K
-5.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,702 COP 5.4M
$1,559 ¥246.3K
9.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Beppu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$663 COP 2.1M
$1,360 ¥214.9K
-51.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
1.97
455.33%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Beppu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$619
Beppu
$233 62.5% $387
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$298
Beppu
$245 17.7% $53
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$209
Beppu
$190 9.1% $19
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$173
Beppu
$69 59.8% $103
Eating Out
Medellin
$171
Beppu
$128 25.1% $43
Getting Around
Medellin
$95
Beppu
$57 40.1% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$59
Beppu
$57 3.7% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $306 in Beppu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 105% higher in Beppu, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $23.00 in Beppu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $245 – making Beppu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇯🇵 Beppu
🕒 Local time
20:59 8:59 PM
10:59 10:59 AM
14 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
115,321
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Beppu 14,770 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Beppu

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 Beppu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Beppu?
Medellin costs about 66% more than Beppu, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medellin and in Beppu?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,469 in Beppu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Medellin or Beppu?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Beppu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Medellin compared to Beppu?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $979 in Beppu. That's a gap of about 66%.
How expensive is transport in Medellin compared to Beppu?
Public transport costs about 150% less in Beppu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Medellin or in Beppu?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beppu, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Beppu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Medellin or Beppu?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Beppu costs $979 versus $1,625 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Medellin compared to Beppu?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Medellin or to Beppu?
If budget matters most, go with Beppu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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