Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Yamanashi

For one person, living is cheaper in Yamanashi: $1,172 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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 Yamanashi
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Yamanashi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Yamanashi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,172

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Yamanashi

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,172 in Yamanashi, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Yamanashi $1,172

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,904 in Yamanashi, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Yamanashi $1,904

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,636 in Yamanashi, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Yamanashi $2,636

Medellin costs about 40% more than Yamanashi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Yamanashi is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$8.64 ¥1,365

-6.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$31.83 ¥5,027

47.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.94 ¥781

92.31%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.49 ¥394

20.88%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.30 ¥206

38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.90 ¥142

56.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.10 ¥490

2.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.16 ¥498

81.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$0.97 ¥153

55.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$0.87 ¥137

173.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.30 ¥205

36.15%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.64 ¥260

76.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$12.75 ¥2,014

-20.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.50 ¥868

79.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$17.02 ¥2,687

-17.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.09 ¥804

-22.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$3.03 ¥479

-48.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.92 ¥303

13.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$3.59 ¥566

-39.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.70 ¥268

15.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$2.43 ¥384

-34.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.10 ¥174

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.67 ¥106

85.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.90 ¥616

1.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$9.68 ¥1,529

41.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.56 ¥404

-35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.10 ¥332

7.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$1.62 ¥256

-27.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$58.9 ¥9,302

31.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.12 ¥492

-59.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$2.84 ¥449

-27.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$16.17 ¥2,554

-47.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.12 ¥176

20.54%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$22.2K ¥3.5M

53.20%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$14.9K ¥2.4M

131.96%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$118 ¥18.7K

43.49%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$23.18 ¥3,660

-41.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$30.92 ¥4,883

-9.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$54.4 ¥8,590

-19.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$12.49 ¥1,973

-44.68%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$702 ¥110.8K

13.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$14.9K ¥2.4M

-38.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$50.9 ¥8,038

66.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$36.39 ¥5,747

59.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$61.6 ¥9,721

119.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$100 ¥15.8K

-2.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$554 ¥87.4K

118.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$306 ¥48.3K

109.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$985 ¥155.6K

105.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$770 ¥121.5K

31.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,903 ¥616.4K

6.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,242 ¥354.0K

-14.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$4,540 ¥717.0K

-85.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.02

441.58%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Yamanashi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Yamanashi

$306 26.1% 52.3% $336

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Yamanashi

$275 23.5% 7.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Yamanashi

$172 14.7% 18.4% $39

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Yamanashi

$145 12.3% 14.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Yamanashi

$112 9.6% 33.7% $57

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Yamanashi

$83 7.1% 11.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Yamanashi

$79 6.8% 38% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $554 in Yamanashi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Yamanashi are about 6.9 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 Yamanashi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $275 – making Yamanashi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Yamanashi

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

03:22 3:22 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

34,494

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 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 = 3,603 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).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Yamanashi 14,130 km ≈ 18 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 Yamanashi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 40%, 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 $1,758 in Yamanashi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yamanashi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $554 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $32 in Yamanashi. 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 $1,172 in Yamanashi. That makes Yamanashi about 29% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,172 in Yamanashi. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Yamanashi is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 29% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.