Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kawagoe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawagoe: $1,075 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
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Kawagoe Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kawagoe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,075 in Kawagoe.

Medellin $1,639
Kawagoe $1,075

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,744 in Kawagoe.

Medellin $2,413
Kawagoe $1,744

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,413 in Kawagoe.

Medellin $3,186
Kawagoe $2,413

Living in Medellin is roughly 53% more expensive than in Kawagoe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Kawagoe is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.33 ¥1,000

27.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$41.23 ¥6,511

14.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.95 ¥782

91.92%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.50 ¥552

-14.00%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.92 ¥145

95.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.52 ¥82.7

171.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.91 ¥301

66.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.74 ¥432

109.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.15 ¥182

31.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.28 ¥203

85.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$3.67 ¥579

-51.77%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.08 ¥328

38.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.34 ¥1,002

60.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.90 ¥932

67.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$14.16 ¥2,237

-1.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.82 ¥919

-31.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.34 ¥369

-33.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.88 ¥455

-24.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$3.12 ¥492

-30.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$2.54 ¥401

-22.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.85 ¥292

-14.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.27 ¥201

-9.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.76 ¥120

63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.83 ¥605

3.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$4.65 ¥734

194.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.81 ¥286

-8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.03 ¥321

11.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$2.97 ¥469

-60.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$52.8 ¥8,343

46.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.11 ¥491

-59.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$2.63 ¥415

-22.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$20.31 ¥3,207

-57.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.06 ¥168

27.36%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$15.6K ¥2.5M

118.13%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$12.8K ¥2.0M

170.05%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$133 ¥21.0K

27.61%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$22.18 ¥3,502

-38.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$31.10 ¥4,912

-9.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$43.19 ¥6,821

1.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$30.97 ¥4,891

-44.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.95 ¥1,730

-36.89%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$320 ¥50.6K

148.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$6,292 ¥993.6K

44.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$31.66 ¥5,000

167.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$33.72 ¥5,326

71.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$43.55 ¥6,879

209.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$93.2 ¥14.7K

4.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$407 ¥64.3K

196.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$267 ¥42.1K

140.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$862 ¥136.2K

135.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$605 ¥95.5K

67.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,474 ¥390.7K

68.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,772 ¥279.8K

7.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,597 ¥252.2K

-58.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

1.6

583.75%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kawagoe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kawagoe

$267 24.8% 58.4% $375

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kawagoe

$257 23.9% 13.6% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kawagoe

$186 17.3% 11.9% $25

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kawagoe

$128 11.9% 24.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kawagoe

$91 8.5% 46.2% $78

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kawagoe

$81 7.5% 13.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kawagoe

$65 6.1% 13.2% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $407 in Kawagoe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kawagoe pays about 2.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $41 in Kawagoe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $257 per month, with Kawagoe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

04:06 4:06 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

350,745

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 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 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).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Kawagoe 14,060 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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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 Kawagoe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,075 in Kawagoe, so Kawagoe is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $407 in Kawagoe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kawagoe – a meal for two runs $41 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,075 in Kawagoe – Kawagoe is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kawagoe gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Kawagoe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.