Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kagoshima

For one person, living is cheaper in Kagoshima: $1,133 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Kagoshima
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Kagoshima Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Kagoshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kagoshima

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,133 in Kagoshima, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Kagoshima $1,133

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,887 in Kagoshima, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Kagoshima $1,887

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,641 in Kagoshima, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Kagoshima $2,641

Medellin costs about 42% more than Kagoshima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Kagoshima is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$6.46 ¥1,020

22.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$32.45 ¥5,127

42.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$5.42 ¥856

75.28%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.91 ¥459

6.87%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.01 ¥159

81.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.75 ¥118

84.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.51 ¥396

21.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.18 ¥344

152.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.36 ¥216

6.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.14 ¥180

107.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$5.13 ¥811

-67.25%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.06 ¥325

38.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$18.48 ¥2,919

-44.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$5.47 ¥863

74.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$18.94 ¥2,993

-25.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.67 ¥580

10.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.85 ¥293

-18.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.78 ¥439

-21.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$3.31 ¥523

-30.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.05 ¥324

-5.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.83 ¥290

-10.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.06 ¥168

6.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.80 ¥126

56.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.88 ¥613

2.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$5.90 ¥932

126.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.14 ¥180

49.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.89 ¥298

25.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$1.27 ¥201

-4.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$53.8 ¥8,497

42.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$4.00 ¥631

-67.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$2.03 ¥321

5.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$11.27 ¥1,780

-24.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.05 ¥166

23.81%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.8K ¥3.4M

28.29%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$17.5K ¥2.8M

102.20%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$189 ¥29.8K

-8.84%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$24.87 ¥3,928

-46.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$30.44 ¥4,809

-5.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$51.3 ¥8,107

-11.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$11.81 ¥1,865

-46.82%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$124 ¥19.5K

522.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$12.3K ¥1.9M

-26.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$49.61 ¥7,838

74.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$25.70 ¥4,060

122.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$63.6 ¥10.0K

114.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$75.9 ¥12.0K

28.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$541 ¥85.5K

94.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$222 ¥35.1K

177.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,015 ¥160.3K

86.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$748 ¥118.2K

36.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$3,824 ¥604.2K

6.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,821 ¥287.8K

-7.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$1,831 ¥289.3K

-64.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

1.97

455.33%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kagoshima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Kagoshima

$222 19.6% 63.9% $394

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Kagoshima

$295 26.1% 0.3% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Kagoshima

$244 21.5% 14% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Kagoshima

$97 8.5% 43.2% $73

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Kagoshima

$127 11.2% 24.8% $42

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Kagoshima

$73 6.5% 21.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Kagoshima

$75 6.6% 29.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $541 in Kagoshima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 181% higher in Kagoshima, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $32.00 in Kagoshima. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $295 in Kagoshima – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Kagoshima

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

10:01 10:01 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

593,128

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Kagoshima 14,970 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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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 Kagoshima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 42% more than Kagoshima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,700 in Kagoshima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kagoshima, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Kagoshima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $124 in Kagoshima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kagoshima, where all-in costs run around $1,133, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Kagoshima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kagoshima costs $1,133 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kagoshima. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.