Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Fukuyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukuyama: $1,146 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Fukuyama, Japan
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Fukuyama
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,146
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Fukuyama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,146 in Fukuyama.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Fukuyama $1,146

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,809 in Fukuyama.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Fukuyama $1,809

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,471 in Fukuyama.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Fukuyama $2,471

Living in Medellin is roughly 43% more expensive than in Fukuyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Fukuyama is 16% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Fukuyama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$7.61 ¥1,201
6.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$31.61 ¥4,993
48.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$5.04 ¥796
88.49%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,734
$3.32 ¥524
-9.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$0.88 ¥139
104.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,560
$0.49 ¥77.6
187.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$1.94 ¥307
63.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$3.19 ¥504
80.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Fukuyama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,875
$0.94 ¥148
60.64%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,677
$0.86 ¥136
176.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,719
$5.91 ¥933
-70.05%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,332
$2.15 ¥340
34.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$8.42 ¥1,330
21.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$3.40 ¥537
190.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$10.64 ¥1,680
31.48%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$5.04 ¥796
-21.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,011
$2.37 ¥374
-34.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,047
$4.94 ¥781
-55.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,050
$3.64 ¥575
-40.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,336
$1.86 ¥294
5.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,131
$1.67 ¥264
-4.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,698
$0.96 ¥152
19.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$0.37 ¥58.0
235.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$4.01 ¥634
-1.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$7.57 ¥1,196
80.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.64 ¥259
1.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,290
$3.23 ¥509
-30.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Fukuyama
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,770
$1.44 ¥228
-18.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
$57.4 ¥9,070
34.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$3.25 ¥514
-60.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,611
$3.85 ¥608
-46.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$20.88 ¥3,298
-59.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,348
$1.07 ¥169
26.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$12.8K ¥2.0M
166.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$15.0K ¥2.4M
130.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Fukuyama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.7K
$103 ¥16.2K
65.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$19.33 ¥3,053
-29.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$30.13 ¥4,759
-6.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Fukuyama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$50.9 ¥8,044
-14.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
$1.92 ¥303
795.31%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$12.46 ¥1,968
-44.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Fukuyama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$696 ¥109.9K
14.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$6,591 ¥1.0M
38.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Fukuyama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$37.43 ¥5,912
126.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.1K
$31.65 ¥4,999
83.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.7K
$64.6 ¥10.2K
108.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$105 ¥16.5K
-6.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Fukuyama
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$486 ¥76.7K
148.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$339 ¥53.6K
89.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$933 ¥147.4K
117.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$721 ¥113.8K
40.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
$4,383 ¥692.2K
-4.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$2,063 ¥325.8K
-7.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Fukuyama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$1,394 ¥220.1K
-52.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
1
994.00%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Fukuyama: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Fukuyama
$339 47.1% $302
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Fukuyama
$249 16.2% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Fukuyama
$152 28% $59
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Fukuyama
$137 19% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Fukuyama
$107 36.5% $62
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Fukuyama
$86 8.4% $7.8
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Fukuyama
$76 31.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $486 in Fukuyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fukuyama pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $32 in Fukuyama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $249 per month, with Fukuyama cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇯🇵 Fukuyama
🕒 Local time
10:17 10:17 AM
00:17 12:17 AM
14 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
460,930
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Fukuyama 14,560 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Fukuyama

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 Fukuyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Fukuyama?
Fukuyama wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Fukuyama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Medellin or in Fukuyama?
On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Medellin compared to Fukuyama?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $486 in Fukuyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Medellin and in Fukuyama?
Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $696 in Fukuyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Medellin or in Fukuyama?
Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Medellin or in Fukuyama?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Fukuyama is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Medellin or Fukuyama?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Fukuyama 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.

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