Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Yokohama

For one person, living is cheaper in Yokohama: $1,340 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Yokohama
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Yokohama Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Yokohama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Yokohama

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,340 in Yokohama, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Yokohama $1,340

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,054 in Yokohama, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Yokohama $2,054

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,768 in Yokohama, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Yokohama $2,768

Medellin costs about 22% more than Yokohama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Yokohama is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$6.45 ¥1,019

25.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$40.72 ¥6,429

15.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.19 ¥820

83.04%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.41 ¥538

-11.73%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.06 ¥167

69.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.74 ¥116

90.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.60 ¥410

22.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.09 ¥489

86.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.46 ¥231

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.75 ¥277

36.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$3.59 ¥567

-50.70%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.03 ¥320

42.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$10.26 ¥1,620

-0.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.14 ¥970

60.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$14.66 ¥2,314

-4.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$5.54 ¥875

-28.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.76 ¥436

-43.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.96 ¥467

-26.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.10 ¥647

-46.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.52 ¥398

-22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.58 ¥407

-38.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.30 ¥205

-11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.77 ¥121

61.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.90 ¥616

1.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$6.30 ¥995

117.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.82 ¥288

-8.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.09 ¥331

8.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.37 ¥217

-14.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$62.4 ¥9,856

23.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.11 ¥491

-59.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$2.66 ¥420

-22.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$20.61 ¥3,254

-58.52%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

57.78%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$16.1K ¥2.5M

115.20%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$130 ¥20.6K

30.17%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$24.74 ¥3,906

-45.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$32.65 ¥5,155

-14.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$48.93 ¥7,725

-10.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$11.78 ¥1,860

45.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$13.09 ¥2,067

-47.21%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$805 ¥127.1K

-1.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

-39.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$61.7 ¥9,733

37.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$37.72 ¥5,956

53.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$62.6 ¥9,887

115.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$102 ¥16.1K

-3.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$1,097 ¥173.1K

10.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$450 ¥71.0K

42.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,796 ¥283.6K

12.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$805 ¥127.0K

25.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$5,778 ¥912.2K

-27.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$4,066 ¥641.9K

-53.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,669 ¥421.4K

-75.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.64

314.39%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Yokohama: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Yokohama

$450 33.6% 29.9% $192

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Yokohama

$290 21.6% 2.4% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Yokohama

$188 14% 11.1% $24

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Yokohama

$134 10% 20.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Yokohama

$119 8.9% 29.7% $50

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Yokohama

$84 6.3% 9.8% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Yokohama

$75 5.6% 30.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $1,097 in Yokohama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Yokohama are about 4.1 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 $41 in Yokohama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $290 – making Yokohama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇵 Yokohama

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

05:37 5:37 AM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,777,491

💱 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 Yokohama 14,090 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
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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 Yokohama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 22%, 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 $2,010 in Yokohama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,208 in Medellin and $1,097 in Yokohama. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $41 in Yokohama. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Yokohama. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,340 in Yokohama, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Yokohama costs $1,340 versus $1,639 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.