Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Osaka: $1,396 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
Learn more

Osaka Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,396 per month in Osaka vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Osaka $1,396
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Osaka vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Osaka $2,027
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,658 per month in Osaka vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Osaka $2,658
Medellin $3,186

Osaka is about 15% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Osaka and Medellin sit above the global median – Osaka by 3%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,024

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-19.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,029

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-32.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥812

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-45.79%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥477

$3.01 COP 9,722

0.66%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$1.80 COP 5,801

-22.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$1.41 COP 4,554

-49.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥433

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-13.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥612

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-32.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥229

$1.51 COP 4,869

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥204

$2.38 COP 7,667

-45.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥861

$1.77 COP 5,712

208.47%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$2.89 COP 9,320

-29.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,516

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-5.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,489

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-4.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,926

$13.99 COP 45.1K

32.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥534

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-14.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥315

$1.55 COP 5,005

29.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$2.18 COP 7,039

-4.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥653

$2.18 COP 7,041

89.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$1.96 COP 6,328

-19.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$1.59 COP 5,125

-26.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥216

$1.15 COP 3,694

19.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥127

$1.24 COP 4,009

-34.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥634

$3.96 COP 12.8K

1.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,532

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-28.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥305

$1.66 COP 5,352

16.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥502

$2.26 COP 7,281

41.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.17 COP 3,766

15.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,166

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-57.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥615

$1.27 COP 4,089

207.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥513

$2.05 COP 6,603

59.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,387

$8.55 COP 27.6K

151.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.35 COP 4,343

-17.78%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-34.48%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-57.17%

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

$141 ¥22.2K

$170 COP 547.0K

-16.89%

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

$24.00 ¥3,781

$13.55 COP 43.7K

77.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,804

$28.07 COP 90.5K

8.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,149

$43.70 COP 140.9K

18.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,971

$17.19 COP 55.4K

9.71%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,024

$6.91 COP 22.3K

85.96%

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

$709 ¥111.6K

$797 COP 2.6M

-11.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

45.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,683

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-42.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,874

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-46.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$135 COP 435.2K

-45.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-7.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.3K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-39.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.3K

$642 COP 2.1M

-19.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥266.7K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-16.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥121.8K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-23.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$4,170 COP 13.4M

56.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥482.5K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

60.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥372.2K

$657 COP 2.1M

259.56%

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 Osaka: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 24.3% $126

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 2.7% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 8.1% $16

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 26.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 54.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 25.7% $20

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 60.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $732 in Osaka 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 in Osaka are about 3.6 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 $32 in Osaka versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $305 in Osaka vs $297 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:32 10:32 PM

08:32 8:32 AM

14 h behind Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Osaka Medellin 14,410 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Osaka
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

Osaka vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,094 per month in Osaka and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Osaka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $732 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Osaka and $47 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 $1,396 in Osaka and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Osaka about 15% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,396 in Osaka and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Osaka costs $1,396 versus $1,639 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.