Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kamiyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Kamiyama: $1,235 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,625
/mo nomad
Kamiyama
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,235
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kamiyama

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,235 in Kamiyama, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,625
  • Kamiyama $1,235

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,928 in Kamiyama, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,412
  • Kamiyama $1,928

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,621 in Kamiyama, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,199
  • Kamiyama $2,621

Medellin costs about 32% more than Kamiyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Kamiyama is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Kamiyama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.30 COP 26.3K
$6.73 ¥1,063
23.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.91 COP 148.7K
$34.01 ¥5,372
37.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.24 COP 29.3K
$5.49 ¥868
68.31%
Cappuccino
$3.05 COP 9,676
$3.09 ¥487
-1.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,707
$1.14 ¥180
57.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,382
$0.76 ¥120
81.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 COP 10.3K
$2.13 ¥336
52.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.56 COP 17.6K
$3.21 ¥507
73.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Kamiyama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 COP 4,760
$1.52 ¥241
-1.32%
White Bread (500g)
$2.37 COP 7,508
$1.58 ¥250
50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.70 COP 5,377
$4.89 ¥772
-65.24%
Eggs
$2.96 COP 9,379
$2.29 ¥362
29.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.22 COP 32.4K
$10.03 ¥1,584
1.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.74 COP 30.9K
$6.43 ¥1,016
51.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.90 COP 44.1K
$15.27 ¥2,412
-8.97%
Apples (1kg)
$4.13 COP 13.1K
$5.46 ¥863
-24.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,839
$2.65 ¥419
-42.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 COP 7,052
$3.95 ¥624
-43.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.27 COP 7,194
$4.61 ¥728
-50.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 COP 6,311
$3.21 ¥507
-38.01%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 COP 5,285
$2.56 ¥404
-34.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 COP 3,742
$1.33 ¥210
-11.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,919
$0.83 ¥132
49.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.87 COP 12.3K
$4.27 ¥674
-9.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.78 COP 43.7K
$6.40 ¥1,011
115.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,256
$1.90 ¥300
-12.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 COP 7,615
$2.39 ¥377
0.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Kamiyama
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 COP 3,944
$1.59 ¥252
-22.01%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.2 COP 248.0K
$56.1 ¥8,865
39.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 COP 4,044
$3.45 ¥545
-62.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.15 COP 6,803
$3.01 ¥475
-28.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.37 COP 26.5K
$20.71 ¥3,271
-59.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,288
$1.19 ¥189
13.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K COP 110.2M
$23.1K ¥3.6M
50.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 110.0M
$17.0K ¥2.7M
104.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Kamiyama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 COP 528.4K
$139 ¥21.9K
20.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.62 COP 43.2K
$27.16 ¥4,291
-49.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.12 COP 92.3K
$33.67 ¥5,319
-13.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Kamiyama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.09 COP 143.0K
$57.2 ¥9,033
-21.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.18 COP 54.5K
$14.14 ¥2,234
21.50%
Cinema Ticket
$6.97 COP 22.1K
$13.05 ¥2,061
-46.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Kamiyama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$282 ¥44.6K
179.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,041 COP 28.7M
$13.1K ¥2.1M
-31.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Kamiyama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.8 COP 278.4K
$43.36 ¥6,850
102.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.2 COP 184.4K
$29.72 ¥4,695
95.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$139 COP 440.7K
$60.5 ¥9,557
129.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.9 COP 313.5K
$90.7 ¥14.3K
9.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Kamiyama
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 COP 3.3M
$463 ¥73.2K
121.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$620 COP 2.0M
$332 ¥52.4K
86.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,881 COP 6.0M
$879 ¥138.8K
114.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 COP 3.2M
$670 ¥105.9K
50.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,988 COP 12.6M
$2,777 ¥438.8K
43.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,702 COP 5.4M
$1,786 ¥282.2K
-4.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Kamiyama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$663 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
1.81
504.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kamiyama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$619
Kamiyama
$332 46.5% $288
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$298
Kamiyama
$307 3.1% $9.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$209
Kamiyama
$199 4.8% $10
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$173
Kamiyama
$101 41.6% $72
Eating Out
Medellin
$171
Kamiyama
$132 22.7% $39
Getting Around
Medellin
$95
Kamiyama
$81 14.9% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$59
Kamiyama
$83 41.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $463 in Kamiyama. 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $34.00 in Kamiyama. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Medellin vs $307 in Kamiyama – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇯🇵 Kamiyama
🕒 Local time
22:18 10:18 PM
12:18 12:18 PM
14 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
5,300
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Kamiyama 14,540 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Kamiyama

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 Kamiyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kamiyama cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,853 in Kamiyama. 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 Kamiyama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Kamiyama?
Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Kamiyama?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $34.00 in Kamiyama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Kamiyama?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kamiyama, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Kamiyama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Kamiyama more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Kamiyama – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Kamiyama. 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.

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