Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Oita

For one person, living is cheaper in Oita: $1,309 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Oita
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Oita Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Oita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,309

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Oita

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,309 in Oita, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Oita $1,309

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,033 in Oita, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Oita $2,033

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,757 in Oita, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Oita $2,757

Medellin costs about 24% more than Oita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Oita is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$7.42 ¥1,172

11.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$42.27 ¥6,677

10.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$5.91 ¥934

56.35%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.74 ¥591

-18.45%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.00 ¥159

80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.75 ¥118

84.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$3.75 ¥593

-13.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.25 ¥355

147.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.57 ¥248

-4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.93 ¥304

22.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$6.61 ¥1,044

-74.28%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.30 ¥364

28.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$17.89 ¥2,827

-42.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$5.49 ¥867

77.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$18.89 ¥2,985

-26.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$3.58 ¥565

15.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.81 ¥286

-15.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.86 ¥451

-22.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$3.42 ¥540

-33.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.15 ¥340

-7.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.56 ¥404

-34.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.03 ¥163

14.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.91 ¥143

36.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.88 ¥613

-0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$6.34 ¥1,001

117.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.71 ¥270

-2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.85 ¥292

29.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.51 ¥239

-17.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$53.2 ¥8,409

46.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$3.91 ¥617

-67.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$2.08 ¥329

3.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$18.07 ¥2,855

-53.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.05 ¥167

28.57%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

58.89%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$17.6K ¥2.8M

96.94%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$214 ¥33.9K

-22.26%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$24.34 ¥3,846

-44.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$33.96 ¥5,365

-14.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$51.3 ¥8,104

-12.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$11.12 ¥1,757

-37.32%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$126 ¥20.0K

525.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$12.3K ¥1.9M

-26.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$49.06 ¥7,751

78.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$26.11 ¥4,126

122.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$65.0 ¥10.3K

113.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$47.12 ¥7,445

109.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$523 ¥82.6K

96.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$336 ¥53.0K

84.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,094 ¥172.9K

71.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$723 ¥114.2K

39.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$4,285 ¥677.0K

-6.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,755 ¥277.2K

-3.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 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 19, 2026

Last update for Oita: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Oita

$336 25.6% 45.8% $284

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Oita

$317 24.2% 6.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Oita

$273 20.8% 30.2% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Oita

$84 6.4% 51.2% $88

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Oita

$152 11.6% 10.9% $19

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Oita

$74 5.6% 22.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Oita

$74 5.6% 24.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $523 in Oita. 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 $42.00 in Oita. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Medellin vs $317 in Oita – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Oita

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

10:59 10:59 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

475,614

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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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Between locations

Medellin Oita 14,770 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Oita

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 Oita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 24%, 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 $1,964 in Oita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oita, 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 $42.00 in Oita. 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 $1,309 in Oita. That's a gap of about 24%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Oita, where all-in costs run around $1,309, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Oita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Oita – 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 Oita. 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.