Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Okayama

For one person, living is cheaper in Okayama: $979 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Okayama
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Okayama Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Okayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Okayama

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $979 in Okayama, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Okayama $979

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,575 in Okayama, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Okayama $1,575

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,171 in Okayama, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Okayama $2,171

Medellin costs about 67% more than Okayama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Okayama is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.97 ¥943

35.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$25.17 ¥3,976

86.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.04 ¥796

88.49%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$1.74 ¥275

72.99%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.69 ¥109

160.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.69 ¥109

104.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.94 ¥306

63.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.93 ¥305

197.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.36 ¥216

11.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$0.62 ¥97.6

283.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$4.09 ¥646

-56.72%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.55 ¥245

86.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$15.16 ¥2,394

-32.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.43 ¥1,015

53.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$17.03 ¥2,690

-17.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.05 ¥798

-21.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$3.10 ¥489

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$5.02 ¥792

-56.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$4.38 ¥691

-50.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$2.17 ¥342

-9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.93 ¥304

-17.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.18 ¥186

-2.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.67 ¥106

85.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.77 ¥596

5.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$9.29 ¥1,467

47.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.89 ¥298

-12.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$1.86 ¥294

21.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$1.42 ¥224

-17.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$57.3 ¥9,050

35.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.20 ¥505

-60.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$2.60 ¥410

-21.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$21.53 ¥3,400

-60.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.00 ¥158

35.00%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

55.45%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$15.4K ¥2.4M

125.21%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$71.5 ¥11.3K

137.17%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$13.73 ¥2,168

-1.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$25.75 ¥4,066

9.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$52.2 ¥8,247

-16.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.29 ¥1,783

-38.80%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$708 ¥111.8K

12.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$14.5K ¥2.3M

-37.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$50.2 ¥7,930

68.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$35.57 ¥5,618

62.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$61.0 ¥9,636

121.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$97.0 ¥15.3K

0.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$332 ¥52.4K

264.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$190 ¥30.0K

237.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$641 ¥101.2K

216.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$430 ¥67.9K

135.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,651 ¥576.6K

14.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,539 ¥401.0K

-24.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,366 ¥215.7K

-51.89%

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 Okayama: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Okayama

$190 19.4% 70.4% $452

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Okayama

$312 31.8% 5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Okayama

$111 11.3% 47.5% $100

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Okayama

$103 10.5% 39.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Okayama

$110 11.2% 35.1% $59

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Okayama

$79 8.1% 15.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Okayama

$75 7.6% 30% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $332 in Okayama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Okayama are about 2.1 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 $25 in Okayama. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $312 in Okayama – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Okayama

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

02:33 2:33 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

719,474

💱 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 Okayama 14,510 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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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 Okayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,469 in Okayama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Okayama, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $332 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $25 in Okayama. 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 $979 in Okayama. That makes Okayama about 40% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Okayama, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Okayama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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