Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tokyo

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Tokyo: $1,639 and $1,688 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tokyo

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,688 in Tokyo, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Tokyo $1,688

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,588 in Tokyo, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Tokyo $2,588

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,489 in Tokyo, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Tokyo $3,489

Medellin is about 3% cheaper than Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Tokyo sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Tokyo by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$7.72 ¥1,220

4.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$37.51 ¥5,923

25.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.01 ¥790

89.62%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.68 ¥580

-18.21%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.51 ¥239

19.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.85 ¥133

65.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.77 ¥596

-15.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$5.75 ¥908

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.49 ¥236

1.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.73 ¥273

37.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$5.80 ¥916

-69.48%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.25 ¥355

28.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.50 ¥1,815

-11.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.96 ¥1,099

41.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$16.39 ¥2,588

-14.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$4.73 ¥747

-16.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.28 ¥360

-32.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.26 ¥673

-48.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$5.37 ¥847

-59.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$3.29 ¥520

-40.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$3.00 ¥474

-47.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.15 ¥181

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.80 ¥126

55.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.89 ¥615

1.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$9.72 ¥1,535

40.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.70 ¥269

-2.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.66 ¥420

-15.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.25 ¥197

-6.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$62.4 ¥9,858

23.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.15 ¥497

-59.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$3.14 ¥495

-34.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$18.98 ¥2,996

-54.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.11 ¥175

21.62%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$22.5K ¥3.6M

51.41%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

126.06%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$147 ¥23.2K

15.49%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$23.17 ¥3,659

-41.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$30.10 ¥4,752

-6.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$57.4 ¥9,069

-23.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$26.48 ¥4,181

-35.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$13.39 ¥2,114

-48.39%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$1,410 ¥222.7K

-43.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$18.6K ¥2.9M

-51.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$55.3 ¥8,735

53.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$32.43 ¥5,120

78.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$64.4 ¥10.2K

109.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$72.1 ¥11.4K

35.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,329 ¥209.9K

-9.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$729 ¥115.0K

-11.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,622 ¥414.0K

-22.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,401 ¥221.2K

-27.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$10.7K ¥1.7M

-61.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$5,054 ¥798.0K

-62.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,019 ¥476.6K

-78.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.25

386.22%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Tokyo

$729 43.2% 13.6% $87

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Tokyo

$327 19.4% 10.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Tokyo

$200 11.9% 5.3% $11

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Tokyo

$161 9.5% 5.2% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Tokyo

$101 6% 40.3% $68

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Tokyo

$86 5.1% 7.8% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Tokyo

$84 5% 46.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,329 in Tokyo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Tokyo are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $38 in Tokyo. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $327 in Tokyo – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

04:02 4:02 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

13,613,660 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Tokyo 14,070 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tokyo

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 Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tokyo is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,533 in Tokyo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,329 in Tokyo. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $38 in Tokyo. 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 $1,688 in Tokyo. That’s a gap of about 3%.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,688 in Tokyo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tokyo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.