Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gifu

For one person, living is cheaper in Gifu: $1,267 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Gifu, Japan
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Gifu
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,267
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Gifu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,267 in Gifu.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Gifu $1,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,040 in Gifu.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Gifu $2,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,814 in Gifu.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Gifu $2,814

Living in Medellin is roughly 29% more expensive than in Gifu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Gifu is 7% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Gifu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$7.71 ¥1,218
4.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$31.30 ¥4,945
50.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$4.85 ¥766
95.88%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$2.31 ¥365
30.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$1.18 ¥186
52.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$0.62 ¥97.3
127.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$2.12 ¥335
50.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$2.37 ¥374
142.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Gifu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$1.50 ¥237
0.67%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$1.32 ¥208
80.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$5.52 ¥871
-67.93%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$2.09 ¥330
38.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$12.52 ¥1,979
-18.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$9.60 ¥1,517
2.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$32.24 ¥5,093
-56.61%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$3.81 ¥602
4.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$2.30 ¥364
-32.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$6.42 ¥1,014
-66.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$4.21 ¥665
-48.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$3.74 ¥590
-47.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$3.47 ¥548
-54.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$1.29 ¥204
-10.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$0.95 ¥150
30.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$3.54 ¥560
11.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$8.36 ¥1,321
63.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,222
$2.04 ¥322
-18.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,104
$1.53 ¥241
47.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Gifu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
$1.56 ¥246
-25.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
$61.4 ¥9,707
25.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$3.15 ¥498
-59.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$3.26 ¥514
-37.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$27.03 ¥4,270
-68.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.11 ¥175
21.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$20.0K ¥3.2M
70.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$16.5K ¥2.6M
109.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Gifu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$143 ¥22.6K
18.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$24.52 ¥3,874
-44.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$42.97 ¥6,789
-34.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Gifu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
$49.00 ¥7,742
-10.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$12.61 ¥1,993
-45.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Gifu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$323 ¥51.1K
146.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$6,232 ¥984.6K
46.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Gifu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$49.60 ¥7,836
70.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$25.33 ¥4,002
128.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$46.99 ¥7,423
187.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$66.0 ¥10.4K
48.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Gifu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$564 ¥89.1K
114.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$298 ¥47.1K
115.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$1,075 ¥169.9K
88.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$737 ¥116.4K
37.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
$4,525 ¥714.9K
-7.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$2,202 ¥347.8K
-13.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Gifu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
2.28
379.82%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gifu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Gifu
$298 53.5% $343
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Gifu
$385 29.7% $88
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Gifu
$211 0.3% $0.6
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Gifu
$126 25.5% $43
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Gifu
$85 49.9% $84
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Gifu
$87 6.9% $6.5
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Gifu
$74 29% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $564 in Gifu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $31 in Gifu. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $385, with Medellin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇯🇵 Gifu
🕒 Local time
08:05 8:05 AM
22:05 10:05 PM
14 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
404,352
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Gifu 14,280 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Gifu

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 Gifu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gifu cheaper than Medellin?
Gifu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and transport. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,900 in Gifu 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.
What is the rent difference between Medellin and Gifu?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $564 in Gifu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Gifu runs roughly 21% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $323 in Gifu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Gifu?
At $1,267 in Gifu versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gifu but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Gifu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Gifu?
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.

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