Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Wakayama

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakayama: $1,265 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Wakayama
Learn more

Wakayama Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Wakayama

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,265 in Wakayama, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Wakayama $1,265

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,078 in Wakayama, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Wakayama $2,078

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,890 in Wakayama, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Wakayama $2,890

Medellin costs about 30% more than Wakayama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Wakayama is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.32 ¥996

28.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$32.23 ¥5,082

45.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.22 ¥823

81.99%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.61 ¥411

15.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.30 ¥205

38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.95 ¥149

48.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.12 ¥492

1.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.89 ¥298

204.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.52 ¥240

-0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.54 ¥243

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$4.06 ¥640

-56.40%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.21 ¥348

30.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$15.58 ¥2,457

-34.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.93 ¥1,093

42.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$16.97 ¥2,676

-17.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$8.61 ¥1,357

-53.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.99 ¥472

-48.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$5.15 ¥812

-57.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$7.67 ¥1,210

-71.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$3.91 ¥617

-49.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$4.57 ¥720

-65.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.18 ¥185

-2.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.94 ¥148

31.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.87 ¥610

2.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$9.65 ¥1,522

41.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.52 ¥397

-34.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.11 ¥332

7.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.61 ¥254

-27.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$63.7 ¥10.0K

21.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.22 ¥508

-60.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.93 ¥462

-30.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$15.82 ¥2,495

-45.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.10 ¥174

22.73%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.2K ¥3.5M

53.69%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

130.85%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$118 ¥18.6K

43.66%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$23.84 ¥3,759

-43.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$31.84 ¥5,021

-11.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$49.43 ¥7,794

-11.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.61 ¥1,988

-45.20%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$685 ¥108.1K

16.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

-39.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$50.3 ¥7,931

68.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$35.61 ¥5,615

62.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$60.8 ¥9,581

122.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$99.4 ¥15.7K

-1.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$475 ¥74.9K

154.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$311 ¥49.1K

106.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,147 ¥180.8K

76.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$810 ¥127.6K

24.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$4,633 ¥730.6K

-9.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,252 ¥355.1K

-15.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,949 ¥622.7K

-83.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

1.67

555.09%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Wakayama: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Wakayama

$311 24.6% 51.5% $330

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Wakayama

$381 30.1% 28.2% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Wakayama

$174 13.7% 17.7% $38

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Wakayama

$126 10% 25.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Wakayama

$111 8.8% 34.5% $58

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Wakayama

$88 7% 5.9% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Wakayama

$75 5.9% 29.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $475 in Wakayama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Wakayama are about 6 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 $32 in Wakayama. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $381 in Wakayama – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🕒 Local time

21:51 9:51 PM

11:51 11:51 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

362,163

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Wakayama 14,470 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Wakayama

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 Wakayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 30%, 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 $1,897 in Wakayama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wakayama, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $475 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $32 in Wakayama. 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 $1,265 in Wakayama. That makes Wakayama about 23% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Wakayama, where all-in costs run around $1,265, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Wakayama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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