Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Narita

For one person, living is cheaper in Narita: $1,203 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Narita
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Narita Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Narita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Narita

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,203 in Narita, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Narita $1,203

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,912 in Narita, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Narita $1,912

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,620 in Narita, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Narita $2,620

Medellin costs about 36% more than Narita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Narita is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.73 ¥905

41.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$41.80 ¥6,602

12.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.42 ¥698

114.93%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.25 ¥513

-7.38%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.78 ¥124

130.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.73 ¥116

93.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.07 ¥327

53.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.22 ¥509

78.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.25 ¥197

20.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.72 ¥272

38.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$3.63 ¥574

-51.24%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.98 ¥313

45.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.31 ¥1,629

-1.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.13 ¥968

61.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$14.34 ¥2,265

-2.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.83 ¥920

-31.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.73 ¥432

-43.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.91 ¥460

-25.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$4.16 ¥657

-47.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$2.64 ¥417

-25.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$2.69 ¥424

-40.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.30 ¥206

-11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.82 ¥129

51.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.78 ¥597

4.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.22 ¥982

119.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.79 ¥283

-7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.09 ¥330

8.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$1.48 ¥235

-20.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$64.9 ¥10.3K

19.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.25 ¥513

-60.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.62 ¥255

26.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$20.95 ¥3,308

-59.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.03 ¥163

31.07%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$21.8K ¥3.4M

56.36%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$16.1K ¥2.5M

115.68%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$131 ¥20.6K

29.79%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$24.14 ¥3,812

-43.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$28.35 ¥4,477

-0.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$52.3 ¥8,267

-16.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.49 ¥1,814

-39.86%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$828 ¥130.8K

-3.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-38.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$62.3 ¥9,833

36.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$36.42 ¥5,751

59.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$61.0 ¥9,635

121.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$105 ¥16.6K

-6.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$540 ¥85.3K

123.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$334 ¥52.7K

92.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$901 ¥142.4K

124.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$700 ¥110.5K

44.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,825 ¥604.1K

9.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,316 ¥365.8K

-17.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,258 ¥198.6K

-47.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.64

314.39%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Narita: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Narita

$334 27.7% 48% $308

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Narita

$289 24% 2.8% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Narita

$183 15.2% 13.3% $28

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Narita

$121 10.1% 28.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Narita

$119 9.9% 29.6% $50

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Narita

$82 6.8% 12.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Narita

$75 6.3% 30.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $540 in Narita. 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 91% higher in Narita, 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 $42 in Narita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $289 – making Narita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Narita

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

21:14 9:14 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

131,613

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 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 = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Narita 14,020 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Narita

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 Narita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 36%, 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 $1,805 in Narita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Narita, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $540 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $42 in Narita. 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 $1,203 in Narita. That makes Narita about 27% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Narita, where all-in costs run around $1,203, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Narita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,203 in Narita to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Narita is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 27% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.