Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sendai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sendai: $1,161 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
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Sendai Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sendai

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,161 in Sendai, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Sendai $1,161

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,835 in Sendai, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Sendai $1,835

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,510 in Sendai, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Sendai $2,510

Medellin costs about 40% more than Sendai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sendai is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$6.23 ¥984

33.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$34.65 ¥5,474

35.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$4.50 ¥711

105.33%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$3.62 ¥571

-15.75%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.94 ¥149

91.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.78 ¥124

76.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.87 ¥295

73.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$3.20 ¥505

73.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.45 ¥229

3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.44 ¥227

64.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$6.64 ¥1,048

-74.40%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.09 ¥330

41.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$10.89 ¥1,721

-6.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$11.91 ¥1,881

-18.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$9.00 ¥1,422

54.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$3.55 ¥560

16.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.20 ¥348

-30.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$4.47 ¥707

-50.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$3.24 ¥512

-29.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.58 ¥407

-22.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.27 ¥358

-26.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$1.41 ¥222

-16.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$1.25 ¥198

-0.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$4.44 ¥701

-12.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$7.01 ¥1,107

96.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.57 ¥248

5.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.61 ¥413

-8.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.47 ¥232

-15.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$37.26 ¥5,886

109.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$5.23 ¥826

-75.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$18.42 ¥2,910

-54.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.06 ¥168

27.36%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$15.8K ¥2.5M

119.57%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$24.8K ¥3.9M

39.73%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$138 ¥21.8K

20.80%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$30.52 ¥4,822

-55.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$34.78 ¥5,495

-16.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$44.60 ¥7,046

1.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$12.84 ¥2,029

33.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$10.07 ¥1,590

-30.78%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$229 ¥36.2K

245.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$3,792 ¥599.0K

138.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$56.1 ¥8,868

56.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$33.92 ¥5,359

71.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$35.34 ¥5,583

293.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$53.5 ¥8,455

84.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$560 ¥88.4K

83.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$327 ¥51.7K

89.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$692 ¥109.4K

171.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$715 ¥112.9K

41.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,638 ¥416.8K

51.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,424 ¥225.0K

19.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$996 ¥157.3K

-33.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.73

300.73%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sendai: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Sendai

$327 28.2% 47.2% $293

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Sendai

$308 26.5% 3.4% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Sendai

$203 17.5% 2.9% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Sendai

$81 6.9% 53.4% $92

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Sendai

$129 11.1% 24.3% $41

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Sendai

$48 * 4.2% 49.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Sendai

$65 5.6% 9.7% $5.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $560 in Sendai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 50% higher in Sendai, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $35.00 in Sendai. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Medellin vs $308 in Sendai – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Sendai

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

02:48 2:48 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,082,159

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Sendai 13,790 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sendai

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 Sendai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 40%, 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 $1,742 in Sendai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sendai, 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 $35.00 in Sendai. 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 $1,161 in Sendai. That's a gap of about 40%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sendai, where all-in costs run around $1,161, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Sendai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sendai – 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 Sendai. 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.