Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Nara, Japan

For one person, living is cheaper in Nara: $1,233 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
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Nara Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Nara

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,233 in Nara, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Nara $1,233

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,851 in Nara, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Nara $1,851

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,468 in Nara, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Nara $2,468

Medellin costs about 33% more than Nara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.33 ¥996

27.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$32.27 ¥5,083

45.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$4.99 ¥785

90.38%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.50 ¥394

20.40%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.26 ¥198

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.71 ¥112

98.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.21 ¥506

-0.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.10 ¥488

85.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.57 ¥247

-3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.30 ¥205

83.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$4.12 ¥649

-57.04%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$2.23 ¥352

29.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.75 ¥1,537

4.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$7.07 ¥1,114

39.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$18.13 ¥2,855

-22.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.30 ¥520

20.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.93 ¥304

-19.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.12 ¥334

2.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$4.08 ¥642

-46.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.50 ¥236

30.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.14 ¥179

39.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.13 ¥179

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.88 ¥138

40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.88 ¥612

2.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$9.54 ¥1,502

43.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.87 ¥295

-11.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.15 ¥339

5.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$1.48 ¥233

-20.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$74.3 ¥11.7K

4.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$3.15 ¥497

-59.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$2.92 ¥461

-29.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$15.66 ¥2,467

-45.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.08 ¥169

25.00%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$21.8K ¥3.4M

56.54%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

126.37%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$118 ¥18.6K

43.89%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$24.81 ¥3,909

-45.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$30.74 ¥4,843

-8.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$83.2 ¥13.1K

-47.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$7.58 ¥1,195

126.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.57 ¥1,980

-45.03%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$693 ¥109.1K

15.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$13.3K ¥2.1M

-31.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$47.11 ¥7,420

79.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$30.96 ¥4,877

87.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$61.8 ¥9,728

118.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$89.9 ¥14.2K

8.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$411 ¥64.8K

193.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$340 ¥53.5K

88.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$832 ¥131.1K

143.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$547 ¥86.1K

85.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$2,671 ¥420.7K

56.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,040 ¥321.3K

-6.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,123 ¥176.8K

-41.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.02

441.58%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Nara

$340 27.6% 47% $302

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Nara

$285 23.1% 4.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Nara

$173 14.1% 17.9% $38

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Nara

$126 10.2% 25.9% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Nara

$103 8.4% 38.8% $66

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Nara

$98 8% 4.8% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Nara

$108 8.8% 88.2% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $411 in Nara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 71% higher in Nara, 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 $32 in Nara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $285 – making Nara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Nara

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

11:37 11:37 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

355,280

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Nara 14,390 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Nara

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 Nara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 33%, 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 $1,850 in Nara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $411 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $32 in Nara. 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 $1,233 in Nara. That makes Nara about 25% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nara, where all-in costs run around $1,233, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Nara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Nara is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 25% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.