Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Fukuoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukuoka: $1,307 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Fukuoka
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Fukuoka Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Fukuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Fukuoka

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,307 in Fukuoka, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Fukuoka $1,307

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,031 in Fukuoka, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Fukuoka $2,031

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,754 in Fukuoka, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Fukuoka $2,754

Medellin costs about 25% more than Fukuoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Fukuoka is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$7.33 ¥1,158

10.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$43.83 ¥6,920

7.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.97 ¥942

59.13%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.72 ¥587

-19.09%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.06 ¥167

69.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.75 ¥118

88.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.85 ¥608

-17.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.16 ¥340

166.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.55 ¥245

-2.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.83 ¥288

30.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$6.43 ¥1,015

-72.47%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.30 ¥364

25.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$18.19 ¥2,872

-43.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.34 ¥843

84.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$18.96 ¥2,994

-26.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.62 ¥572

9.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.85 ¥293

-16.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.83 ¥446

-22.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.33 ¥526

-34.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.15 ¥339

-8.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.59 ¥409

-38.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.03 ¥162

11.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.98 ¥154

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.98 ¥628

-0.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$6.41 ¥1,012

113.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.71 ¥270

-2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.92 ¥303

17.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.29 ¥204

-9.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$52.9 ¥8,352

46.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$4.11 ¥649

-69.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$2.39 ¥377

-14.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$17.92 ¥2,830

-52.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.10 ¥174

22.73%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$22.2K ¥3.5M

53.65%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

130.67%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$215 ¥33.9K

-21.10%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$25.33 ¥4,000

-46.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$34.10 ¥5,384

-17.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$48.11 ¥7,597

-9.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$12.61 ¥1,990

-45.20%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$702 ¥110.9K

13.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$12.4K ¥2.0M

-26.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$48.84 ¥7,712

73.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$26.49 ¥4,182

118.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$65.8 ¥10.4K

105.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$47.48 ¥7,497

106.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$523 ¥82.6K

130.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$332 ¥52.4K

93.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,173 ¥185.2K

72.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$709 ¥112.0K

42.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,674 ¥737.9K

-10.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,568 ¥405.5K

-25.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,647 ¥260.1K

-60.11%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Fukuoka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Fukuoka

$332 25.4% 48.3% $310

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Fukuoka

$317 24.2% 6.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Fukuoka

$274 21% 29.9% $63

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Fukuoka

$152 11.6% 10.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Fukuoka

$85 6.5% 49.8% $84

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Fukuoka

$74 5.7% 20.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Fukuoka

$73 5.6% 27.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $523 in Fukuoka. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Fukuoka are about 2.5 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 $47 in Medellin versus $44 in Fukuoka. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $317 in Fukuoka – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Fukuoka

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

08:15 8:15 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,612,392

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Fukuoka 14,800 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Fukuoka

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 Fukuoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,307 in Fukuoka – Fukuoka comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,961 in Fukuoka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fukuoka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $523 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $702 in Fukuoka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,307 in Fukuoka, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Fukuoka has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,307 in Fukuoka to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.