Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tottori

For one person, living is cheaper in Tottori: $1,186 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Tottori, Japan
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Tottori
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,186
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tottori

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,186 in Tottori, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Tottori $1,186

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,890 in Tottori, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Tottori $1,890

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,593 in Tottori, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Tottori $2,593

Medellin costs about 38% more than Tottori, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tottori is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Tottori
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$9.61 ¥1,517
-15.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$31.99 ¥5,052
47.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$4.96 ¥783
91.53%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,734
$3.36 ¥530
-10.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$0.90 ¥142
100.00%
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
$3.09 ¥488
2.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$5.79 ¥915
-0.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Tottori
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,875
$1.52 ¥241
-0.66%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,677
$1.03 ¥163
131.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,719
$5.94 ¥938
-70.20%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,332
$1.99 ¥314
45.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$8.52 ¥1,345
19.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$7.09 ¥1,120
39.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$12.14 ¥1,917
15.24%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$4.22 ¥667
-5.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,011
$2.12 ¥334
-26.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,047
$4.73 ¥746
-53.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,050
$3.36 ¥530
-35.12%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,336
$1.92 ¥303
2.08%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,131
$1.67 ¥264
-4.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,698
$1.14 ¥180
0.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$0.91 ¥144
36.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$3.74 ¥590
5.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$7.72 ¥1,219
77.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.58 ¥249
5.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,290
$2.60 ¥411
-13.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Tottori
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,770
$1.06 ¥167
10.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
$56.8 ¥8,968
36.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$3.30 ¥521
-61.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,611
$3.87 ¥612
-47.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$12.12 ¥1,915
-29.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,348
$1.08 ¥170
25.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$21.4K ¥3.4M
59.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$15.4K ¥2.4M
124.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Tottori
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.7K
$104 ¥16.5K
62.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$24.34 ¥3,845
-44.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$30.87 ¥4,876
-9.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Tottori
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$50.7 ¥8,001
-13.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
$12.82 ¥2,025
34.09%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$12.10 ¥1,911
-42.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Tottori
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$318 ¥50.2K
150.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$6,680 ¥1.1M
36.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Tottori
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$34.88 ¥5,509
142.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.1K
$23.26 ¥3,674
149.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.7K
$51.2 ¥8,087
163.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$96.7 ¥15.3K
1.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Tottori
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$277 ¥43.8K
335.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$332 ¥52.5K
92.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$1,032 ¥162.9K
96.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$735 ¥116.1K
37.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
$4,718 ¥745.1K
-11.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$2,502 ¥395.1K
-23.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Tottori
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
1.74
528.74%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tottori: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Tottori
$332 48.2% $309
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Tottori
$277 6.6% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Tottori
$159 24.5% $52
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Tottori
$165 2.5% $4.2
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Tottori
$93 45.1% $76
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Tottori
$84 10.6% $9.9
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Tottori
$75 30.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $277 in Tottori. 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 Tottori. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $277 – making Tottori the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇯🇵 Tottori
🕒 Local time
11:49 11:49 AM
01:49 1:49 AM
14 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
193,717
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Tottori 14,420 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Tottori

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 Tottori: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tottori cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,779 in Tottori. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tottori, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $277 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Tottori?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $32 in Tottori. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Tottori?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,186 in Tottori. That makes Tottori about 28% cheaper.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Tottori?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tottori, where all-in costs run around $1,186, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Tottori it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Tottori more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Tottori – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Tottori is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 28% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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