Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Yamaguchi

For one person, living is cheaper in Yamaguchi: $1,202 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
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Medellin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Yamaguchi
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Yamaguchi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Yamaguchi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Yamaguchi

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,202 in Yamaguchi, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Yamaguchi $1,202

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,849 in Yamaguchi, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Yamaguchi $1,849

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,495 in Yamaguchi, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Yamaguchi $2,495

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

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Yamaguchi is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.80 ¥600

112.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$31.96 ¥5,047

47.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.02 ¥793

89.24%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.71 ¥586

-18.87%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.05 ¥166

71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.75 ¥118

88.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.88 ¥612

-18.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.21 ¥349

160.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.55 ¥245

-2.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.83 ¥288

30.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$6.61 ¥1,044

-73.22%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.21 ¥349

30.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$18.53 ¥2,926

-45.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.28 ¥833

86.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$19.00 ¥3,001

-26.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.71 ¥586

7.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.87 ¥295

-17.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.82 ¥445

-22.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.26 ¥515

-33.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.22 ¥351

-11.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.54 ¥401

-37.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.08 ¥171

6.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.93 ¥147

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.04 ¥638

-1.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$6.20 ¥979

120.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.67 ¥263

-0.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.91 ¥302

18.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.48 ¥234

-20.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$50.8 ¥8,016

52.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$4.00 ¥631

-68.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$2.42 ¥382

-15.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$17.73 ¥2,799

-51.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.07 ¥169

26.17%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$22.5K ¥3.6M

51.10%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

126.03%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$214 ¥33.8K

-20.75%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$24.94 ¥3,938

-45.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$33.47 ¥5,284

-16.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$52.7 ¥8,321

-17.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$12.67 ¥2,000

-45.46%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$695 ¥109.8K

14.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$12.1K ¥1.9M

-24.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$48.71 ¥7,690

73.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$25.97 ¥4,101

123.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$65.8 ¥10.4K

104.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$47.76 ¥7,541

104.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$409 ¥64.6K

195.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$256 ¥40.4K

150.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$806 ¥127.2K

151.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$572 ¥90.3K

76.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,869 ¥768.8K

-14.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,007 ¥316.8K

-4.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

1.97

455.33%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Yamaguchi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Yamaguchi

$256 21.3% 60.1% $386

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Yamaguchi

$317 26.4% 6.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Yamaguchi

$272 22.7% 29% $61

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Yamaguchi

$121 10.1% 28.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Yamaguchi

$85 7.1% 49.9% $84

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Yamaguchi

$73 6.1% 22.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Yamaguchi

$78 6.5% 35.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $409 in Yamaguchi. 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 Yamaguchi. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $317 in Yamaguchi – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Yamaguchi

🕒 Local time

12:46 12:46 PM

02:46 2:46 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

193,966

💱 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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Medellin Yamaguchi 14,690 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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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 Yamaguchi: 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 $1,803 in Yamaguchi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yamaguchi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $409 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $32 in Yamaguchi. 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 $1,202 in Yamaguchi. That’s a gap of about 36%.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,202 in Yamaguchi. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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