Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Nago, Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Nago, Okinawa: $1,231 a month against $1,625 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Nago, Okinawa
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Nago, Okinawa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Nago, Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,231

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Nago, Okinawa

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,231 in Nago, Okinawa, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Nago, Okinawa $1,231

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,923 in Nago, Okinawa, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Nago, Okinawa $1,923

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,614 in Nago, Okinawa, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Nago, Okinawa $2,614

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$6.82 ¥1,077

21.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$35.35 ¥5,586

32.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$5.68 ¥898

62.68%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.03 ¥479

0.66%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.10 ¥173

63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.76 ¥121

81.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.10 ¥332

54.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.05 ¥482

82.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.52 ¥239

-1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.64 ¥259

44.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$4.67 ¥738

-63.60%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.28 ¥361

29.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$10.13 ¥1,601

0.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$6.15 ¥971

58.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$15.49 ¥2,448

-10.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$5.36 ¥847

-22.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.55 ¥402

-40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$4.13 ¥652

-46.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$4.53 ¥716

-49.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$3.24 ¥511

-38.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.56 ¥404

-34.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.38 ¥217

-14.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.88 ¥140

40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$4.26 ¥674

-9.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$6.50 ¥1,027

112.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.91 ¥302

-13.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.37 ¥375

1.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.58 ¥250

-21.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$56.0 ¥8,840

39.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$3.43 ¥542

-62.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$2.87 ¥454

-25.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$21.07 ¥3,329

-60.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.23 ¥194

9.76%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$23.5K ¥3.7M

47.95%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$16.9K ¥2.7M

105.77%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$139 ¥21.9K

20.18%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$27.18 ¥4,294

-49.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$34.51 ¥5,452

-15.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$57.1 ¥9,012

-20.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$13.97 ¥2,207

22.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$13.04 ¥2,061

-46.55%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$285 ¥45.0K

177.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$13.5K ¥2.1M

-33.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$43.95 ¥6,944

99.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$28.96 ¥4,575

100.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$59.0 ¥9,328

135.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$92.2 ¥14.6K

7.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$461 ¥72.8K

123.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$328 ¥51.9K

88.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$878 ¥138.6K

114.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$659 ¥104.1K

52.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,826 ¥446.5K

41.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,726 ¥272.6K

-1.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

1.81

504.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nago, Okinawa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Nago, Okinawa

$328 26.7% 47% $291

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Nago, Okinawa

$306 24.9% 2.9% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Nago, Okinawa

$200 16.3% 4.3% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Nago, Okinawa

$101 8.2% 41.6% $72

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Nago, Okinawa

$132 10.7% 22.7% $39

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Nago, Okinawa

$80 6.5% 15.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Nago, Okinawa

$83 6.8% 40.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $461 in Nago, Okinawa. 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $35.00 in Nago, Okinawa. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Medellin vs $306 in Nago, Okinawa – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Nago, Okinawa

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

20:40 8:40 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

63,554

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Nago, Okinawa 15,560 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

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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 Nago, Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,847 in Nago, Okinawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $35.00 in Nago, Okinawa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,231 in Nago, Okinawa. That's a gap of about 32%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nago, Okinawa, where all-in costs run around $1,231, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Nago, Okinawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nago, Okinawa. 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.