Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Nagasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagasaki: $1,287 a month against $1,639 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Nagasaki
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Nagasaki Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Nagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Nagasaki

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,287 in Nagasaki, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Nagasaki $1,287

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,907 in Nagasaki, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Nagasaki $1,907

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,527 in Nagasaki, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Nagasaki $2,527

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

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Nagasaki is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.03 ¥793

60.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$19.07 ¥3,007

146.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.10 ¥803

86.27%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.63 ¥572

-17.08%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.04 ¥164

73.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.76 ¥120

85.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.16 ¥341

47.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.26 ¥356

154.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.55 ¥245

-2.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.84 ¥291

29.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$6.21 ¥980

-71.50%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.03 ¥321

42.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.36 ¥1,477

8.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.21 ¥506

207.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$19.33 ¥3,048

-27.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.56 ¥561

11.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.83 ¥288

-15.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.88 ¥454

-24.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$3.26 ¥514

-33.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.24 ¥353

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.65 ¥418

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.04 ¥163

10.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.97 ¥153

27.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.87 ¥609

2.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.50 ¥1,025

110.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.71 ¥269

-2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.85 ¥292

22.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.27 ¥200

-7.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$56.4 ¥8,898

37.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$4.12 ¥649

-69.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.40 ¥378

-14.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$17.66 ¥2,785

-51.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.08 ¥170

25.00%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.8K ¥3.6M

49.31%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$15.5K ¥2.4M

124.22%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$215 ¥33.8K

-20.96%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$24.77 ¥3,906

-45.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$33.03 ¥5,208

-15.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$52.3 ¥8,251

-16.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.66 ¥1,997

-45.42%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$706 ¥111.3K

12.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$12.4K ¥2.0M

-26.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$48.40 ¥7,632

75.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$25.87 ¥4,079

124.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$67.7 ¥10.7K

99.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$46.74 ¥7,370

109.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$550 ¥86.7K

119.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$374 ¥59.0K

71.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,085 ¥171.1K

86.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$743 ¥117.1K

36.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$4,205 ¥663.0K

-0.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,287 ¥360.6K

-16.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

1.97

455.33%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nagasaki: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Nagasaki

$374 29.1% 41.7% $267

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Nagasaki

$279 21.7% 6.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Nagasaki

$272 21.2% 29% $61

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Nagasaki

$122 9.5% 28.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Nagasaki

$85 6.6% 49.7% $84

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Nagasaki

$78 6% 17% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Nagasaki

$78 6% 35% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $550 in Nagasaki. 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 in Medellin versus $19 in Nagasaki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $279 – making Nagasaki the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Nagasaki

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

19:04 7:04 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

409,118

💱 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 Nagasaki 14,910 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

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Nagasaki

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 Nagasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,931 in Nagasaki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nagasaki, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $550 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $19 in Nagasaki. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,287 in Nagasaki. That makes Nagasaki about 21% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nagasaki, where all-in costs run around $1,287, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Nagasaki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nagasaki – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Nagasaki is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 21% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.