Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sagamihara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sagamihara: $1,228 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Sagamihara
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Sagamihara Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sagamihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sagamihara

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,228 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sagamihara $1,228

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,005 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sagamihara $2,005

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,783 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sagamihara $2,783

Medellin costs about 34% more than Sagamihara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sagamihara is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$8.50 ¥1,342

-4.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$31.84 ¥5,029

47.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.16 ¥815

84.11%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.59 ¥410

16.22%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.26 ¥199

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.90 ¥143

56.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.13 ¥495

1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.21 ¥507

79.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$0.94 ¥148

60.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$0.64 ¥101

271.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$4.12 ¥651

-57.04%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.87 ¥295

54.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$15.93 ¥2,516

-36.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.79 ¥1,072

45.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$17.23 ¥2,721

-18.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.27 ¥359

74.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.56 ¥246

-0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$5.09 ¥803

-57.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$7.87 ¥1,242

-72.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$3.91 ¥618

-49.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$4.76 ¥751

-66.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.13 ¥178

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.46 ¥72.5

169.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.98 ¥628

-0.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$9.74 ¥1,539

40.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.62 ¥413

-36.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.15 ¥340

5.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$1.41 ¥222

-17.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$61.3 ¥9,687

26.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.26 ¥515

-61.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$2.83 ¥448

-27.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$16.00 ¥2,526

-46.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.12 ¥176

20.54%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

54.55%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

130.32%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$116 ¥18.3K

46.02%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$23.59 ¥3,726

-42.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$30.85 ¥4,872

-9.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$47.70 ¥7,534

-8.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.65 ¥1,998

-45.38%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$681 ¥107.6K

16.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-38.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$49.89 ¥7,879

69.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$36.43 ¥5,753

59.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$61.4 ¥9,703

119.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$97.4 ¥15.4K

0.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$614 ¥97.0K

96.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$322 ¥50.9K

99.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,137 ¥179.5K

78.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$824 ¥130.1K

22.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$4,239 ¥669.5K

-1.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,512 ¥396.7K

-23.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

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 Sagamihara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sagamihara

$322 26.2% 49.8% $319

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sagamihara

$322 26.2% 8.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sagamihara

$171 13.9% 19.2% $41

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sagamihara

$145 11.8% 14.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sagamihara

$110 9% 34.7% $59

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sagamihara

$84 6.9% 9.8% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sagamihara

$73 6% 26.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $614 in Sagamihara. 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 Sagamihara. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $322 in Sagamihara – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Sagamihara

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

03:22 3:22 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

725,493

💱 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 Sagamihara 14,100 km ≈ 18 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 Sagamihara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 34%, 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 $1,841 in Sagamihara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sagamihara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $614 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $32 in Sagamihara. 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 $1,228 in Sagamihara. That makes Sagamihara about 25% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,228 in Sagamihara. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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