Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ichihara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichihara: $1,264 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.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Ichihara
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Ichihara Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ichihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,264

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ichihara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,264 in Ichihara.

Medellin $1,639
Ichihara $1,264

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,001 in Ichihara.

Medellin $2,413
Ichihara $2,001

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,738 in Ichihara.

Medellin $3,186
Ichihara $2,738

Living in Medellin is roughly 30% more expensive than in Ichihara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.46 ¥1,019

25.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$41.72 ¥6,579

12.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.19 ¥818

83.04%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.47 ¥547

-13.26%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.06 ¥167

69.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.78 ¥123

80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.50 ¥394

27.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.12 ¥492

84.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.43 ¥226

5.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.72 ¥271

38.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$3.56 ¥561

-50.28%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.00 ¥315

44.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.21 ¥1,611

-0.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.17 ¥973

59.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$14.69 ¥2,317

-4.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.67 ¥894

-29.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.83 ¥446

-45.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.81 ¥442

-22.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$4.11 ¥648

-46.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.56 ¥404

-23.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.65 ¥418

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.28 ¥202

-10.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.76 ¥120

63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.74 ¥590

5.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.26 ¥987

118.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.75 ¥276

-5.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.10 ¥332

7.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.24 ¥196

-5.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$50.1 ¥7,895

54.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.12 ¥492

-59.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.63 ¥415

-22.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$20.56 ¥3,242

-58.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.12 ¥176

20.54%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$21.6K ¥3.4M

58.08%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$15.9K ¥2.5M

118.67%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$134 ¥21.2K

26.43%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$24.21 ¥3,818

-44.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$31.75 ¥5,007

-11.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$48.44 ¥7,639

-9.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.87 ¥2,029

-46.31%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$837 ¥131.9K

-4.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

-39.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$63.3 ¥9,974

33.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$36.37 ¥5,735

59.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$62.8 ¥9,905

114.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$102 ¥16.1K

-4.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$501 ¥79.0K

141.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$385 ¥60.7K

66.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$878 ¥138.5K

130.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$806 ¥127.1K

25.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$4,196 ¥661.6K

-0.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,521 ¥397.5K

-24.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.64

314.39%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ichihara: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ichihara

$385 30.4% 40% $257

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ichihara

$289 22.9% 2.6% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ichihara

$190 15.1% 10% $21

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ichihara

$135 10.7% 20.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ichihara

$119 9.4% 29.5% $50

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ichihara

$71 5.6% 23.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ichihara

$74 5.9% 28.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $501 in Ichihara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $42 in Ichihara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $289 per month, with Ichihara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Ichihara

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

16:07 4:07 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

269,524

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Ichihara 14,060 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Ichihara

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 Ichihara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ichihara is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,896 in Ichihara 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $501 in Ichihara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $837 in Ichihara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,264 in Ichihara versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ichihara but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Ichihara 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 Ichihara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.