Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ichikawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichikawa: $1,245 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Ichikawa
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Ichikawa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ichikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ichikawa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,245 in Ichikawa.

Medellin $1,639
Ichikawa $1,245

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,888 in Ichikawa.

Medellin $2,413
Ichikawa $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,531 in Ichikawa.

Medellin $3,186
Ichikawa $2,531

Living in Medellin is roughly 32% more expensive than in Ichikawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Ichikawa is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.21 ¥822

55.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$32.08 ¥5,059

46.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.32 ¥681

119.91%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.21 ¥348

36.20%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.72 ¥113

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.39 ¥61.3

261.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.49 ¥393

27.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.25 ¥513

76.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.39 ¥219

8.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.66 ¥262

43.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$3.68 ¥581

-51.90%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.99 ¥314

45.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.53 ¥1,661

-3.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.11 ¥964

61.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$14.23 ¥2,243

-1.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.77 ¥910

-31.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.80 ¥441

-44.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.80 ¥442

-22.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$4.13 ¥651

-47.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.58 ¥407

-24.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.59 ¥408

-38.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.26 ¥198

-8.73%

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

$3.84 ¥606

3.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.29 ¥993

117.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.74 ¥274

-4.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.12 ¥334

6.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.60 ¥252

-26.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$63.2 ¥9,958

22.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.22 ¥507

-60.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.71 ¥428

-24.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$20.75 ¥3,273

-58.80%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

56.64%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$16.0K ¥2.5M

116.57%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$134 ¥21.1K

26.58%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$24.14 ¥3,806

-43.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$32.17 ¥5,073

-12.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$45.56 ¥7,184

-4.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.91 ¥2,035

-46.48%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$812 ¥128.0K

-1.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$14.9K ¥2.4M

-39.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$61.9 ¥9,767

36.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$36.85 ¥5,810

57.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$62.8 ¥9,895

115.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$103 ¥16.3K

-5.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$615 ¥97.0K

96.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$385 ¥60.8K

66.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,022 ¥161.2K

98.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$686 ¥108.2K

47.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$4,163 ¥656.4K

0.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,124 ¥334.9K

-10.05%

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 Ichikawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ichikawa

$385 31% 39.9% $256

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ichikawa

$288 23.1% 3% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ichikawa

$190 15.3% 9.9% $21

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ichikawa

$105 8.4% 38.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ichikawa

$119 9.6% 29.5% $50

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ichikawa

$86 6.9% 7.7% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ichikawa

$71 5.7% 24.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $615 in Ichikawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $32 in Ichikawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $288 per month, with Ichikawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Ichikawa

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

22:47 10:47 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

496,676

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

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

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Ichikawa 14,050 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ichikawa

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 Ichikawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,245 in Ichikawa, so Ichikawa is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,868 in Ichikawa 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 $615 in Ichikawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Ichikawa – a meal for two runs $32 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ichikawa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Ichikawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.