Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Shiga

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiga: $1,207 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Shiga
Learn more

Shiga Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Shiga

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Shiga

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,207 in Shiga, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Shiga $1,207

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,897 in Shiga, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Shiga $1,897

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,588 in Shiga, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Shiga $2,588

Medellin costs about 36% more than Shiga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Shiga is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.19 ¥977

30.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$31.73 ¥5,011

48.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.96 ¥783

91.53%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.95 ¥466

2.03%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.31 ¥206

37.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.70 ¥110

101.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.76 ¥436

15.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.53 ¥558

62.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.28 ¥203

17.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.24 ¥196

91.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$3.89 ¥614

-54.50%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.04 ¥322

41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.45 ¥1,492

7.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$9.19 ¥1,452

7.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$18.48 ¥2,918

-24.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.44 ¥543

15.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$2.03 ¥320

-23.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.04 ¥323

6.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$3.97 ¥626

-45.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.52 ¥240

28.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.14 ¥180

39.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.36 ¥215

-15.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.87 ¥137

42.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.97 ¥627

-0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$9.77 ¥1,543

40.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.90 ¥301

-12.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$3.13 ¥494

-27.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$1.16 ¥183

0.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$56.2 ¥8,877

37.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.86 ¥610

-67.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$3.20 ¥505

-35.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$21.98 ¥3,472

-61.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.09 ¥173

23.85%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.7K ¥3.6M

50.21%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

127.23%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$137 ¥21.7K

23.75%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$24.58 ¥3,882

-44.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$18.76 ¥2,962

49.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$52.0 ¥8,215

-15.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.55 ¥1,982

-44.94%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$697 ¥110.1K

14.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$13.4K ¥2.1M

-31.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$48.59 ¥7,674

74.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$30.84 ¥4,870

87.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$73.3 ¥11.6K

84.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$90.1 ¥14.2K

8.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$551 ¥87.0K

119.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$337 ¥53.2K

90.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$998 ¥157.6K

103.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$727 ¥114.8K

39.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$4,617 ¥729.1K

-9.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,022 ¥319.3K

-5.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,210 ¥191.2K

-45.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.21

395.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shiga: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Shiga

$337 27.9% 47.5% $305

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Shiga

$294 24.4% 1% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Shiga

$180 15% 14.6% $31

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Shiga

$129 10.7% 24.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Shiga

$109 9.1% 35.3% $60

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Shiga

$81 6.7% 13.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Shiga

$77 6.4% 34.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $551 in Shiga. 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 84% higher in Shiga, 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 $32 in Shiga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $294 – making Shiga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Shiga

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

22:07 10:07 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

23,836

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Shiga 14,340 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Shiga

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 Shiga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 36%, 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 $1,811 in Shiga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shiga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $551 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $32 in Shiga. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Shiga. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,207 in Shiga, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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