Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kashiwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kashiwa: $1,241 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Kashiwa
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Kashiwa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kashiwa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kashiwa

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,241 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Kashiwa $1,241

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,861 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Kashiwa $1,861

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,481 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Kashiwa $2,481

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.27 ¥988

29.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$25.74 ¥4,054

82.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.23 ¥824

81.64%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.46 ¥545

-13.01%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.70 ¥110

157.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.79 ¥125

78.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.56 ¥403

24.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.11 ¥490

84.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.29 ¥203

17.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.10 ¥173

116.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$3.61 ¥569

-50.97%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.96 ¥308

47.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.46 ¥1,018

57.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$6.05 ¥954

63.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$9.59 ¥1,511

45.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.55 ¥875

-28.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.73 ¥431

-43.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.97 ¥468

-26.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$4.24 ¥668

-48.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$2.67 ¥420

-26.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.55 ¥402

-37.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.60 ¥95.2

91.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.66 ¥104

87.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.92 ¥618

1.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$6.43 ¥1,013

112.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.82 ¥286

-8.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.86 ¥293

21.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$1.51 ¥237

-22.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$57.3 ¥9,030

34.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$3.11 ¥491

-59.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.55 ¥245

32.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$20.28 ¥3,194

-57.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.02 ¥160

32.35%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

58.16%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$15.8K ¥2.5M

119.00%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$124 ¥19.6K

36.31%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$24.64 ¥3,881

-45.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$32.79 ¥5,164

-14.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$56.3 ¥8,869

-22.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.78 ¥2,013

-45.93%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$815 ¥128.3K

-2.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$14.6K ¥2.3M

-37.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$62.0 ¥9,763

36.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$36.55 ¥5,757

58.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$62.0 ¥9,768

117.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$101 ¥15.9K

-2.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$526 ¥82.8K

129.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$402 ¥63.4K

59.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,000 ¥157.6K

102.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$716 ¥112.7K

41.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$4,322 ¥680.8K

-3.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,597 ¥409.1K

-26.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,664 ¥419.7K

-75.34%

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 Kashiwa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kashiwa

$402 32.4% 37.3% $239

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kashiwa

$251 20.2% 15.5% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kashiwa

$182 14.7% 13.9% $29

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kashiwa

$132 10.7% 21.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kashiwa

$118 9.5% 30.4% $51

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kashiwa

$74 6% 20.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kashiwa

$82 6.6% 42.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $526 in Kashiwa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kashiwa are about 4.1 times higher, 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 in Medellin versus $26 in Kashiwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $251 – making Kashiwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Kashiwa

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

10:48 10:48 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

417,394

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Kashiwa 14,040 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kashiwa

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 Kashiwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,241 in Kashiwa – Kashiwa comes out roughly 24% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,862 in Kashiwa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kashiwa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $526 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $815 in Kashiwa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,241 in Kashiwa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kashiwa costs $1,241 versus $1,639 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Kashiwa is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 24% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.