Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Naha

For one person, living is cheaper in Naha: $1,344 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Naha
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Naha Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Naha

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,344

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Naha

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,344 in Naha, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Naha $1,344

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,090 in Naha, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Naha $2,090

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,836 in Naha, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Naha $2,836

Medellin costs about 26% more than Naha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$4.97 ¥783

67.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$30.22 ¥4,760

53.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$4.92 ¥775

92.48%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.00 ¥472

4.33%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$1.29 ¥203

37.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.86 ¥135

65.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.57 ¥405

22.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.10 ¥645

39.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.61 ¥254

-4.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$2.15 ¥339

6.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$3.91 ¥616

-50.38%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$1.84 ¥290

66.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$17.70 ¥2,787

-43.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.95 ¥779

111.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$22.19 ¥3,495

-37.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.62 ¥570

11.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$2.61 ¥411

-41.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$2.20 ¥346

-4.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$5.03 ¥791

-54.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$2.41 ¥379

-12.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$2.46 ¥388

-30.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.26 ¥198

-7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.77 ¥122

105.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.96 ¥624

-1.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$6.41 ¥1,009

119.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$1.97 ¥311

-10.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$3.23 ¥509

-16.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$3.97 ¥625

-54.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$3.49 ¥550

-38.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$11.42 ¥1,798

-28.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$1.02 ¥161

25.49%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

59.86%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

127.25%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$95.4 ¥15.0K

86.32%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$25.01 ¥3,939

-44.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$51.9 ¥8,172

-40.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$11.83 ¥1,863

-36.86%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$327 ¥51.5K

141.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$5,517 ¥868.8K

122.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$50.4 ¥7,936

71.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$23.44 ¥3,692

152.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$81.6 ¥12.9K

69.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$96.5 ¥15.2K

2.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$725 ¥114.2K

84.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$564 ¥88.9K

18.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,125 ¥177.3K

75.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,136 ¥179.0K

-9.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,310 ¥206.3K

-50.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.23

390.58%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Naha: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Naha

$564 42% 15.4% $103

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Naha

$328 24.4% 6.8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Naha

$172 12.8% 22.5% $50

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Naha

$120 8.9% 30.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Naha

$113 8.4% 34.2% $59

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Naha

$21 * 1.6% 77.1% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Naha

$24 * 1.8% 58.4% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $725 in Naha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Naha are about 2 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 $30 in Naha. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $328 in Naha – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Naha

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

16:12 4:12 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

317,625

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,626 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 157 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Naha 15,620 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Naha

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 Naha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $2,015 in Naha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Naha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $725 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $30 in Naha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $1,344 in Naha. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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