Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tsukuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsukuba: $1,111 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Tsukuba
Learn more

Tsukuba Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Tsukuba

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tsukuba

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,111 in Tsukuba, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Tsukuba $1,111

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,773 in Tsukuba, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Tsukuba $1,773

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,434 in Tsukuba, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Tsukuba $2,434

Medellin costs about 48% more than Tsukuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tsukuba is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.49 ¥1,023

24.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$33.75 ¥5,316

39.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.13 ¥808

85.19%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.63 ¥415

14.45%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.96 ¥151

87.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.80 ¥126

76.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.11 ¥332

50.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.13 ¥493

83.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.39 ¥219

8.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.67 ¥264

42.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$3.25 ¥511

-45.54%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$2.09 ¥329

38.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.46 ¥1,648

-2.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$6.03 ¥949

63.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$14.40 ¥2,268

-2.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.63 ¥887

-29.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.75 ¥433

-43.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.83 ¥445

-22.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$4.23 ¥666

-48.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$2.52 ¥396

-22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.67 ¥420

-40.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.82 ¥129

40.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.76 ¥119

63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.71 ¥584

6.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$6.52 ¥1,027

109.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.74 ¥274

-4.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.08 ¥327

8.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$1.43 ¥225

-18.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$55.8 ¥8,788

38.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$3.20 ¥503

-60.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$2.76 ¥435

-25.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$20.77 ¥3,271

-58.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.11 ¥174

21.62%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$22.2K ¥3.5M

53.31%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$15.7K ¥2.5M

121.47%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$131 ¥20.7K

29.05%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$24.64 ¥3,881

-45.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$31.74 ¥5,000

-11.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$56.0 ¥8,827

-22.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$13.27 ¥2,091

-47.93%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$96.3 ¥15.2K

726.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

-39.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$47.58 ¥7,494

78.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$36.56 ¥5,759

58.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$38.69 ¥6,095

248.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$41.36 ¥6,515

136.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$465 ¥73.3K

159.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$280 ¥44.2K

128.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,086 ¥171.1K

86.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$645 ¥101.6K

56.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$4,791 ¥754.7K

-12.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,181 ¥343.5K

-12.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,458 ¥229.7K

-54.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

447.00%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tsukuba: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Tsukuba

$280 25.3% 56.3% $361

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Tsukuba

$285 25.6% 4.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Tsukuba

$188 16.9% 11.1% $23

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Tsukuba

$123 11.1% 27.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Tsukuba

$74 6.7% 56.3% $95

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Tsukuba

$79 7.1% 16.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Tsukuba

$83 7.4% 43.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $465 in Tsukuba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Tsukuba are about 2.2 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 $34 in Tsukuba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $285 – making Tsukuba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Tsukuba

🕒 Local time

07:59 7:59 AM

21:59 9:59 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

230,398

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Tsukuba 14,010 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tsukuba

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 Tsukuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 48%, 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 $1,666 in Tsukuba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tsukuba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $465 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $34 in Tsukuba. 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 $1,111 in Tsukuba. That makes Tsukuba about 32% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,111 in Tsukuba, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Tsukuba is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 32% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.