Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sapporo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sapporo: $1,422 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Sapporo
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Sapporo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sapporo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,422

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sapporo

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,422 in Sapporo, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sapporo $1,422

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,123 in Sapporo, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sapporo $2,123

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,823 in Sapporo, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sapporo $2,823

Medellin costs about 15% more than Sapporo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Medellin and Sapporo sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Sapporo by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.33 ¥996

27.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$28.34 ¥4,464

66.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.51 ¥868

72.41%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$4.92 ¥775

-38.82%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.74 ¥274

3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.88 ¥138

60.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$4.37 ¥688

-27.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$5.70 ¥897

0.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.54 ¥243

-1.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.36 ¥213

75.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$3.97 ¥626

-55.42%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.78 ¥281

62.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.44 ¥1,486

7.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$6.77 ¥1,067

45.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$25.65 ¥4,040

-45.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.25 ¥512

22.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$3.03 ¥477

-48.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$3.15 ¥496

-30.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$4.35 ¥685

-49.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$2.14 ¥337

-8.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.66 ¥262

-4.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.50 ¥236

-23.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.49 ¥77.1

153.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.96 ¥624

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$8.19 ¥1,291

67.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.86 ¥293

-10.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$3.24 ¥511

-30.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$1.56 ¥246

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$48.41 ¥7,625

59.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$4.12 ¥650

-69.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$1.63 ¥257

25.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$16.09 ¥2,535

-46.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.11 ¥175

21.62%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

55.36%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$14.4K ¥2.3M

140.88%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$344 ¥54.1K

-50.61%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$25.82 ¥4,067

-47.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$47.90 ¥7,545

-41.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$50.4 ¥7,946

-13.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$3.20 ¥503

437.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.08 ¥1,902

-42.80%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$312 ¥49.2K

155.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$10.1K ¥1.6M

-10.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$38.49 ¥6,063

120.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$25.24 ¥3,975

129.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$48.43 ¥7,628

178.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$119 ¥18.7K

-17.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$463 ¥72.9K

160.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$276 ¥43.5K

132.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$831 ¥130.9K

143.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$644 ¥101.4K

57.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$2,259 ¥355.8K

84.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,608 ¥253.2K

18.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,281 ¥359.3K

-71.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.57

325.68%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sapporo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sapporo

$276 19.4% 57% $365

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sapporo

$314 22.1% 5.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sapporo

$417 29.3% 97.5% $206

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sapporo

$170 11.9% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sapporo

$104 7.3% 38.5% $65

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sapporo

$67 4.7% 28.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sapporo

$75 5.3% 29.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $463 in Sapporo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sapporo are about 3.5 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 $28 in Sapporo. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $314 in Sapporo – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Sapporo

🕒 Local time

18:34 6:34 PM

08:34 8:34 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,973,395

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Sapporo 13,390 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sapporo

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 Sapporo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 15%, 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 $2,133 in Sapporo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sapporo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $463 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $28 in Sapporo. 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 $1,422 in Sapporo. That makes Sapporo about 13% cheaper.

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