Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Itoman

For one person, living is cheaper in Itoman: $1,162 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Itoman, Japan
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Itoman
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,162
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Itoman

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,162 in Itoman, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Itoman $1,162

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,814 in Itoman, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Itoman $1,814

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,466 in Itoman, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Itoman $2,466

Medellin costs about 41% more than Itoman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Itoman is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Itoman
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$3.21 ¥506
152.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$39.93 ¥6,307
17.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$3.92 ¥618
142.35%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,734
$2.56 ¥404
17.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$1.00 ¥158
80.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,560
$0.77 ¥122
83.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$2.61 ¥412
21.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$4.38 ¥691
31.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Itoman
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,875
$1.64 ¥259
-7.93%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,677
$0.80 ¥127
197.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,719
$2.12 ¥334
-16.51%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,332
$1.76 ¥278
64.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$17.69 ¥2,794
-42.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$2.91 ¥459
239.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$6.93 ¥1,094
101.88%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$3.69 ¥583
7.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,011
$2.74 ¥432
-43.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,047
$2.16 ¥340
0.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,050
$5.02 ¥793
-56.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,336
$2.47 ¥391
-20.65%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,131
$2.59 ¥409
-38.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,698
$1.31 ¥206
-12.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$0.65 ¥103
90.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$3.92 ¥620
1.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$5.63 ¥889
142.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.95 ¥308
-14.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,290
$3.35 ¥530
-32.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Itoman
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,770
$1.67 ¥264
-29.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
$64.6 ¥10.2K
19.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$3.71 ¥585
-65.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,611
$3.58 ¥565
-42.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$11.25 ¥1,778
-24.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,348
$1.06 ¥167
27.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$21.1K ¥3.3M
61.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$15.2K ¥2.4M
128.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Itoman
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.7K
$159 ¥25.1K
6.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$24.71 ¥3,902
-45.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$38.44 ¥6,071
-26.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Itoman
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$46.74 ¥7,381
-6.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$12.28 ¥1,939
-43.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Itoman
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$333 ¥52.5K
139.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$5,536 ¥874.3K
64.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Itoman
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$49.87 ¥7,876
69.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.1K
$23.12 ¥3,651
150.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.7K
$50.5 ¥7,977
167.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$97.3 ¥15.4K
0.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Itoman
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$520 ¥82.1K
132.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$329 ¥52.0K
94.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$910 ¥143.7K
122.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$696 ¥109.9K
45.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
$4,553 ¥719.1K
-8.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$2,575 ¥406.6K
-25.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Itoman
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
2.23
390.58%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Itoman: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Itoman
$329 48.7% $312
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Itoman
$250 15.7% $47
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Itoman
$222 5.2% $11
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Itoman
$97 42.8% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Itoman
$99 41.2% $70
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Itoman
$93 0.7% $0.7
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Itoman
$71 23.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $520 in Itoman. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $40 in Itoman. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $250 – making Itoman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇯🇵 Itoman
🕒 Local time
08:07 8:07 AM
22:07 10:07 PM
14 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
61,007
💱 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 Itoman 15,620 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Itoman

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 Itoman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Itoman cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,744 in Itoman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Itoman, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $520 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Itoman?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $40 in Itoman. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Itoman?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,162 in Itoman. That makes Itoman about 29% cheaper.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Itoman?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Itoman, where all-in costs run around $1,162, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Itoman it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Itoman more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Itoman – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Itoman is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 29% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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