Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Narita and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Narita: $1,203 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.

Narita, Japan
Medellin, Colombia
Narita
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,203
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Narita 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 Narita and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,203 per month in Narita vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Narita $1,203
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,912 per month in Narita vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Narita $1,912
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,620 per month in Narita vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Narita $2,620
  • Medellin $3,186

Narita is about 27% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Narita
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.73 ¥904
$8.09 COP 26.1K
-29.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.80 ¥6,592
$47.05 COP 151.9K
-11.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.42 ¥697
$9.50 COP 30.7K
-53.47%
Cappuccino
$3.25 ¥513
$3.01 COP 9,735
7.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 ¥124
$1.80 COP 5,809
-56.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 ¥116
$1.41 COP 4,561
-48.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.07 ¥326
$3.18 COP 10.3K
-34.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 ¥508
$5.75 COP 18.6K
-44.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Narita
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 ¥196
$1.51 COP 4,876
-17.22%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 ¥272
$2.38 COP 7,678
-27.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.63 ¥573
$1.77 COP 5,720
105.08%
Eggs
$1.98 ¥313
$2.89 COP 9,333
-31.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.31 ¥1,626
$10.19 COP 32.9K
1.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.13 ¥966
$9.87 COP 31.9K
-37.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.34 ¥2,262
$13.99 COP 45.2K
2.50%
Apples (1kg)
$5.83 ¥919
$3.97 COP 12.8K
46.85%
Banana (1kg)
$2.73 ¥431
$1.55 COP 5,012
76.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 ¥460
$2.18 COP 7,048
33.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.16 ¥656
$2.18 COP 7,051
90.83%
Potato (1kg)
$2.64 ¥417
$1.96 COP 6,337
34.69%
Onion (1kg)
$2.69 ¥423
$1.59 COP 5,132
69.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 ¥206
$1.15 COP 3,699
13.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 ¥129
$1.24 COP 4,014
-33.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.78 ¥596
$3.96 COP 12.8K
-4.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.22 ¥980
$13.68 COP 44.2K
-54.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ¥283
$1.66 COP 5,359
7.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 ¥329
$2.26 COP 7,291
-7.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Narita
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.48 ¥234
$1.17 COP 3,771
26.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.9 ¥10.2K
$77.4 COP 249.8K
-16.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.25 ¥512
$1.27 COP 4,094
155.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 ¥255
$2.05 COP 6,612
-20.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.95 ¥3,303
$8.55 COP 27.6K
145.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.03 ¥162
$1.35 COP 4,349
-23.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ¥3.4M
$34.1K COP 110.0M
-36.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.1K ¥2.5M
$34.7K COP 111.9M
-53.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Narita
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$131 ¥20.6K
$170 COP 547.8K
-22.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.14 ¥3,806
$13.55 COP 43.8K
78.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.35 ¥4,470
$28.07 COP 90.6K
1.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Narita
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.3 ¥8,254
$43.70 COP 141.1K
19.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.19 COP 55.5K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.49 ¥1,811
$6.91 COP 22.3K
66.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Narita
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$828 ¥130.6K
$797 COP 2.6M
3.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ¥2.3M
$9,112 COP 29.4M
62.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Narita
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.3 ¥9,818
$84.7 COP 273.5K
-26.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.42 ¥5,742
$58.0 COP 187.2K
-37.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.0 ¥9,620
$135 COP 435.8K
-54.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 ¥16.5K
$97.9 COP 316.0K
7.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Narita
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$540 ¥85.1K
$1,208 COP 3.9M
-55.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$334 ¥52.6K
$642 COP 2.1M
-47.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$901 ¥142.1K
$2,028 COP 6.5M
-55.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$700 ¥110.3K
$1,012 COP 3.3M
-30.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,825 ¥603.2K
$4,170 COP 13.5M
-8.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,316 ¥365.3K
$1,910 COP 6.2M
21.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Narita
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,258 ¥198.3K
$657 COP 2.1M
91.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.64
10.94
-75.87%

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

Last update for Narita: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Narita
$334
Medellin
$642 92.2% $308
Groceries & Markets
Narita
$289
Medellin
$297 2.9% $8.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Narita
$183
Medellin
$211 15.3% $28
Eating Out
Narita
$121
Medellin
$170 40.2% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Narita
$119
Medellin
$169 42% $50
Getting Around
Narita
$82
Medellin
$94 13.8% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Narita
$75
Medellin
$58 23.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $540 in Narita versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 91% higher in Narita, 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 $42 in Narita versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $289 vs $297 – making Narita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Narita
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
18:46 6:46 PM
04:46 4:46 AM
14 h behind Narita
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
131,613
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Narita Medellin 14,020 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Narita
  • 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
Narita vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Narita cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,805 per month in Narita and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Narita, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $540 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Narita or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Narita and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Narita and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,203 in Narita and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Narita about 27% cheaper.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Narita or in Medellin?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Narita, where all-in costs run around $1,203, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Narita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Narita or in Medellin?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,203 in Narita to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Narita is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 27% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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