Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Okazaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Okazaki: $1,248 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Okazaki, Japan
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Okazaki
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,248
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Okazaki

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,248 in Okazaki, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Okazaki $1,248

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,992 in Okazaki, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Okazaki $1,992

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,736 in Okazaki, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Okazaki $2,736

Medellin costs about 31% more than Okazaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Okazaki is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Okazaki
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$7.71 ¥1,217
4.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$31.70 ¥5,006
48.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$4.98 ¥787
90.76%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,734
$2.32 ¥366
29.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$1.18 ¥187
52.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,560
$0.59 ¥92.9
138.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$2.11 ¥333
50.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$2.34 ¥370
145.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Okazaki
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,875
$1.50 ¥236
0.67%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,677
$1.27 ¥201
87.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,719
$5.48 ¥865
-67.70%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,332
$2.09 ¥330
38.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$12.62 ¥1,993
-19.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$9.73 ¥1,536
1.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$31.82 ¥5,026
-56.03%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$3.67 ¥579
8.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,011
$2.28 ¥360
-32.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,047
$6.51 ¥1,028
-66.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,050
$4.23 ¥667
-48.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,336
$3.76 ¥594
-47.87%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,131
$3.43 ¥542
-53.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,698
$1.25 ¥197
-8.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$1.04 ¥164
19.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$3.55 ¥560
11.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$8.46 ¥1,336
61.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$2.05 ¥324
-19.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,290
$1.52 ¥240
48.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Okazaki
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,770
$1.31 ¥207
-10.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
$59.6 ¥9,409
29.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$3.11 ¥492
-59.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,611
$3.09 ¥487
-33.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$26.38 ¥4,166
-67.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,348
$1.11 ¥176
21.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$20.0K ¥3.2M
70.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$16.6K ¥2.6M
109.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Okazaki
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.7K
$145 ¥22.9K
17.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$24.05 ¥3,798
-43.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$42.57 ¥6,724
-34.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Okazaki
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$50.4 ¥7,952
-13.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$9.26 ¥1,462
-25.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Okazaki
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$323 ¥51.0K
146.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$6,200 ¥979.1K
46.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Okazaki
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$50.6 ¥7,993
67.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.1K
$25.23 ¥3,985
129.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.7K
$46.24 ¥7,303
191.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$64.6 ¥10.2K
51.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Okazaki
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$550 ¥86.9K
119.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$289 ¥45.6K
122.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$975 ¥153.9K
108.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$678 ¥107.0K
49.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
$4,103 ¥647.9K
1.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$2,282 ¥360.4K
-16.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Okazaki
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
2.28
379.82%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Okazaki: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Okazaki
$289 55% $353
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Okazaki
$385 29.6% $88
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Okazaki
$211 0.1% $0.1
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Okazaki
$127 25.3% $43
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Okazaki
$84 50.3% $85
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Okazaki
$83 10.9% $10
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Okazaki
$69 19.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $550 in Okazaki. 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 in Medellin versus $32 in Okazaki. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $385 in Okazaki – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇯🇵 Okazaki
🕒 Local time
12:33 12:33 PM
02:33 2:33 AM
14 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
382,846
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Okazaki 14,290 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Okazaki

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 Okazaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Okazaki cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,872 in Okazaki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Okazaki, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $550 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Okazaki?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $32 in Okazaki. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Okazaki?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,248 in Okazaki. That makes Okazaki about 24% cheaper.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Okazaki?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Okazaki, where all-in costs run around $1,248, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Okazaki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Okazaki more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Okazaki – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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