Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Fukushima

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukushima: $1,179 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Fukushima
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Fukushima Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Fukushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,179

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Fukushima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,179 in Fukushima.

Medellin $1,692
Fukushima $1,179

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,896 in Fukushima.

Medellin $2,471
Fukushima $1,896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,613 in Fukushima.

Medellin $3,249
Fukushima $2,613

Living in Medellin is roughly 44% more expensive than in Fukushima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Fukushima is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$5.97 ¥945

39.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$29.63 ¥4,692

57.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$4.37 ¥692

116.70%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.47 ¥391

26.72%

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

$1.77 COP 5,704

$0.97 ¥153

82.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,600

$0.67 ¥105

111.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.58 ¥409

22.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.18 ¥503

79.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,949

$1.51 ¥240

1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,399

$1.53 ¥243

49.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,281

$4.10 ¥650

-52.68%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,902

$2.09 ¥330

46.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$10.23 ¥1,619

-2.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$6.50 ¥1,028

60.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$17.13 ¥2,712

-18.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.71 ¥588

9.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,936

$2.23 ¥353

-31.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,795

$2.95 ¥467

-28.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,407

$4.09 ¥647

-44.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,812

$2.38 ¥376

-11.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,519

$2.48 ¥392

-31.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,779

$1.32 ¥210

-11.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,102

$0.83 ¥132

90.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.99 ¥632

-2.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$6.55 ¥1,037

114.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,689

$1.88 ¥297

-6.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,758

$2.15 ¥341

26.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,810

$1.52 ¥241

-22.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$58.4 ¥9,248

30.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,835

$3.56 ¥564

-49.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,876

$2.96 ¥469

-28.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$23.07 ¥3,652

-64.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,118

$1.21 ¥192

5.79%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$22.4K ¥3.5M

53.96%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

128.15%

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

$178 COP 573.9K

$125 ¥19.7K

42.54%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$21.80 ¥3,452

-36.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$32.57 ¥5,156

-5.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$51.2 ¥8,103

-18.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$11.50 ¥1,820

-35.04%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$692 ¥109.6K

14.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$18.2K ¥2.9M

-32.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.8K

$52.5 ¥8,310

64.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$34.18 ¥5,411

73.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.7K

$67.4 ¥10.7K

105.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.1K

$77.2 ¥12.2K

28.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$556 ¥88.0K

141.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$334 ¥52.9K

99.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$973 ¥154.0K

103.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$808 ¥127.9K

27.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$4,329 ¥685.4K

-5.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$2,479 ¥392.6K

-21.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Fukushima: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Fukushima

$334 28.3% 49.9% $333

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Fukushima

$288 24.5% 6.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Fukushima

$179 15.2% 19.5% $43

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Fukushima

$116 9.9% 32.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Fukushima

$104 8.8% 39.6% $68

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Fukushima

$83 7% 11.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Fukushima

$74 6.3% 30.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $556 in Fukushima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $30 in Fukushima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $288 per month, with Fukushima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Fukushima

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

23:03 11:03 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

282,693

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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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 Fukushima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fukushima is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,768 in Fukushima 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $556 in Fukushima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Fukushima – a meal for two runs $30 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,179 in Fukushima versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Fukushima but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Fukushima 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.

Expats usually find Fukushima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.