Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Morioka and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Morioka: $1,190 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Morioka
Learn more

Morioka Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Morioka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,190

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Morioka and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Morioka and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Morioka vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Morioka $1,190
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,943 per month in Morioka vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Morioka $1,943
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,696 per month in Morioka vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Morioka $2,696
Medellin $3,190

Morioka is about 26% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.13 ¥969

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-22.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.46 ¥4,971

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-31.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥813

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-45.79%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ¥468

$3.11 COP 9,866

-4.82%

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

$1.20 ¥189

$1.83 COP 5,800

-34.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$1.38 COP 4,360

-42.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 ¥421

$3.05 COP 9,672

-12.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 ¥491

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-43.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.45 COP 4,600

0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥244

$2.36 COP 7,496

-34.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 ¥668

$1.68 COP 5,328

151.79%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$2.86 COP 9,077

-29.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.04 ¥1,428

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-11.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.42 ¥1,172

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-22.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.65 ¥2,788

$14.04 COP 44.5K

25.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 ¥627

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-2.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ¥355

$1.50 COP 4,742

49.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 ¥489

$2.17 COP 6,891

42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 ¥678

$2.31 COP 7,310

85.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 ¥405

$1.93 COP 6,113

32.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 ¥352

$1.64 COP 5,196

35.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥187

$1.13 COP 3,571

4.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$1.25 COP 3,954

-24.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ¥653

$3.99 COP 12.6K

3.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 ¥1,076

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-48.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥266

$1.70 COP 5,384

-1.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 ¥368

$2.37 COP 7,525

-1.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥236

$1.21 COP 3,827

23.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.5 ¥8,603

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-28.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$1.32 COP 4,179

137.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 ¥415

$2.14 COP 6,774

22.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.32 ¥3,368

$8.47 COP 26.8K

151.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥172

$1.30 COP 4,114

-16.15%

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

$20.2K ¥3.2M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-27.70%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-57.40%

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

$132 ¥20.8K

$172 COP 545.6K

-23.45%

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

$23.69 ¥3,743

$13.37 COP 42.4K

77.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.46 ¥4,970

$28.73 COP 91.1K

9.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,167

$45.24 COP 143.5K

14.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.07 ¥1,749

$6.28 COP 19.9K

76.27%

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

$545 ¥86.1K

$770 COP 2.4M

-29.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K ¥1.9M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

35.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 ¥8,018

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-41.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.59 ¥5,623

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-37.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.1 ¥9,025

$137 COP 432.9K

-58.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 ¥15.2K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-1.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥87.1K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-47.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 ¥51.0K

$616 COP 2.0M

-47.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 ¥182.8K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-38.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 ¥133.0K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-17.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,122 ¥651.2K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

1.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,502 ¥237.3K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-10.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

10.94

-79.80%

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

Last update for Morioka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Morioka

$323 27.1%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 90.8% $293

Groceries & Markets

Morioka

$294 24.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 0.2% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Morioka

$187 15.7%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 14.6% $27

Eating Out

Morioka

$127 10.7%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 32.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Morioka

$108 9.1%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 57.6% $62

Getting Around

Morioka

$77 6.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 21.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Morioka

$74 6.2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 21.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $552 in Morioka versus $1,055 in Medellin. 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 $31.00 in Morioka versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $294 vs $295 – making Morioka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Morioka

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

20:37 8:37 PM

14 h behind Morioka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

289,731

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Morioka Medellin 13,660 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Morioka
Medellin

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

Morioka vs Medellin: 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 $1,785 per month in Morioka and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Morioka, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Morioka and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,190 in Morioka and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 36%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Morioka, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Morioka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Morioka. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.