Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kanazawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanazawa: $1,277 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Kanazawa
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Kanazawa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kanazawa

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,277 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Kanazawa $1,277

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,031 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Kanazawa $2,031

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,786 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Kanazawa $2,786

Medellin costs about 27% more than Kanazawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Kanazawa is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$7.64 ¥1,206

8.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$31.61 ¥4,994

48.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$4.73 ¥747

95.35%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.26 ¥358

34.96%

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

$0.58 ¥91.2

137.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.03 ¥320

59.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.33 ¥368

138.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.55 ¥245

-3.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.32 ¥208

79.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$5.30 ¥837

-67.92%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.07 ¥327

43.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$12.52 ¥1,978

-18.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$9.41 ¥1,487

3.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$31.96 ¥5,049

-56.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$3.62 ¥572

14.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.28 ¥360

-32.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$6.48 ¥1,024

-65.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$4.14 ¥655

-45.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$3.73 ¥589

-46.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$3.42 ¥540

-51.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.28 ¥201

-7.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.03 ¥163

20.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.55 ¥561

9.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$8.40 ¥1,327

64.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.96 ¥310

-15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.52 ¥239

57.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.49 ¥236

-16.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$54.4 ¥8,598

43.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$3.11 ¥491

-58.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$3.22 ¥508

-33.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$26.21 ¥4,140

-68.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.11 ¥175

21.62%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$20.3K ¥3.2M

71.12%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$16.4K ¥2.6M

111.24%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$148 ¥23.3K

12.81%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$24.34 ¥3,845

-44.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$43.30 ¥6,840

-32.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$42.68 ¥6,743

5.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$11.47 ¥1,812

-39.23%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$320 ¥50.6K

146.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$6,140 ¥970.0K

47.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$49.59 ¥7,834

77.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$25.27 ¥3,993

130.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$45.94 ¥7,258

202.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$64.9 ¥10.3K

52.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$539 ¥85.1K

90.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$327 ¥51.6K

89.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,100 ¥173.7K

71.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$749 ¥118.3K

34.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$4,294 ¥678.4K

-7.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,742 ¥275.3K

-2.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$1,857 ¥293.4K

-64.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.28

379.82%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kanazawa: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Kanazawa

$327 25.6% 47.3% $293

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Kanazawa

$382 29.9% 28.3% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Kanazawa

$215 16.9% 2.9% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Kanazawa

$84 6.5% 51.6% $89

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Kanazawa

$124 9.7% 27.4% $47

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Kanazawa

$80 6.2% 16.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Kanazawa

$66 5.1% 11.1% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $539 in Kanazawa. 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 180% higher in Kanazawa, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $32.00 in Kanazawa. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Medellin vs $382 in Kanazawa – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Kanazawa

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

10:59 10:59 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

465,699

💱 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 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).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Kanazawa 14,190 km ≈ 18 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 Kanazawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Medellin, $1,277 in Kanazawa – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,916 in Kanazawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,277 in Kanazawa. That's a gap of about 27%.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Kanazawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kanazawa, where all-in costs run around $1,277, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Kanazawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,277 in Kanazawa to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Kanazawa. 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.