Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kitakyushu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kitakyushu: $1,250 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Kitakyushu
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Kitakyushu Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kitakyushu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kitakyushu

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,250 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Kitakyushu $1,250

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,923 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Kitakyushu $1,923

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,596 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Kitakyushu $2,596

Medellin costs about 31% more than Kitakyushu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Kitakyushu is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.03 ¥1,108

15.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$32.97 ¥5,198

42.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.43 ¥855

74.95%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.40 ¥536

-11.47%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.06 ¥167

69.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.70 ¥111

101.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.04 ¥479

4.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.18 ¥343

163.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.42 ¥224

6.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.28 ¥201

85.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$5.29 ¥834

-66.54%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.20 ¥347

31.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.42 ¥1,485

8.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.25 ¥828

88.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$18.86 ¥2,973

-25.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.59 ¥566

10.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.88 ¥296

-17.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.79 ¥440

-21.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$2.87 ¥453

-24.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.23 ¥351

-12.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.64 ¥417

-39.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.05 ¥165

9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.99 ¥156

25.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.05 ¥639

-2.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.23 ¥983

119.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.64 ¥259

1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.72 ¥270

31.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.62 ¥256

-27.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$56.8 ¥8,950

36.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.98 ¥627

-68.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.04 ¥322

0.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$17.83 ¥2,811

-52.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.05 ¥165

28.57%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$20.3K ¥3.2M

68.11%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$15.4K ¥2.4M

125.37%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$196 ¥31.0K

-13.66%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$25.10 ¥3,959

-46.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$32.21 ¥5,079

-12.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$52.1 ¥8,220

-16.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$3.22 ¥508

433.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.65 ¥1,995

-45.38%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$379 ¥59.7K

110.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$12.3K ¥1.9M

-26.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$48.55 ¥7,656

74.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$26.37 ¥4,158

119.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$67.0 ¥10.6K

101.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$55.7 ¥8,784

75.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$555 ¥87.5K

117.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$338 ¥53.2K

90.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,005 ¥158.5K

101.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$715 ¥112.8K

41.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$4,304 ¥678.7K

-3.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,319 ¥365.6K

-17.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,533 ¥241.8K

-57.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

1.69

547.34%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kitakyushu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kitakyushu

$338 27% 47.4% $304

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kitakyushu

$275 22% 7.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kitakyushu

$254 20.3% 20.1% $43

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kitakyushu

$140 11.2% 17.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kitakyushu

$89 7.1% 47.4% $80

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kitakyushu

$77 6.2% 17.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kitakyushu

$77 6.2% 34.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $555 in Kitakyushu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kitakyushu are about 2.3 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 $33 in Kitakyushu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $275 – making Kitakyushu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Kitakyushu

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

20:09 8:09 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

939,029

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Kitakyushu 14,750 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kitakyushu

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 Kitakyushu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,250 in Kitakyushu – Kitakyushu 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 $1,875 in Kitakyushu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kitakyushu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $555 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $33 in Kitakyushu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,250 in Kitakyushu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Kitakyushu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,250 in Kitakyushu to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Kitakyushu 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.