Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shiga and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiga: $1,207 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.

58

Cost of Living Index in Shiga
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Shiga Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Shiga

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,207

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Shiga vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Shiga $1,207
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,897 per month in Shiga vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Shiga $1,897
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,588 per month in Shiga vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Shiga $2,588
Medellin $3,186

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

Shiga sits 11% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.19 ¥976

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-23.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.73 ¥5,003

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-32.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥782

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-47.79%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥465

$3.01 COP 9,735

-1.99%

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

$1.31 ¥206

$1.80 COP 5,809

-27.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥110

$1.41 COP 4,561

-50.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ¥436

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-13.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ¥557

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-38.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥203

$1.51 COP 4,876

-15.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 ¥196

$2.38 COP 7,678

-47.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 ¥613

$1.77 COP 5,720

119.77%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥321

$2.89 COP 9,333

-29.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,490

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-7.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 ¥1,450

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-6.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 ¥2,914

$13.99 COP 45.2K

32.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 ¥542

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-13.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 ¥320

$1.55 COP 5,012

30.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 ¥322

$2.18 COP 7,048

-6.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 ¥625

$2.18 COP 7,051

82.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.96 COP 6,337

-22.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ¥179

$1.59 COP 5,132

-28.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ¥215

$1.15 COP 3,699

18.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥137

$1.24 COP 4,014

-29.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ¥626

$3.96 COP 12.8K

0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 ¥1,541

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-28.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥300

$1.66 COP 5,359

14.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ¥493

$2.26 COP 7,291

38.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.16 ¥183

$1.17 COP 3,771

-0.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.2 ¥8,863

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-27.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ¥609

$1.27 COP 4,094

203.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 ¥504

$2.05 COP 6,612

56.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.98 ¥3,466

$8.55 COP 27.6K

157.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥172

$1.35 COP 4,349

-19.26%

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

$22.7K ¥3.6M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-33.43%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-55.99%

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

$137 ¥21.6K

$170 COP 547.8K

-19.19%

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

$24.58 ¥3,876

$13.55 COP 43.8K

81.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.76 ¥2,957

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-33.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ¥8,202

$43.70 COP 141.1K

19.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 ¥1,979

$6.91 COP 22.3K

81.62%

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

$697 ¥110.0K

$797 COP 2.6M

-12.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K ¥2.1M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

46.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.59 ¥7,662

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-42.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.84 ¥4,863

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-46.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 ¥11.6K

$135 COP 435.8K

-45.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 ¥14.2K

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-7.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$551 ¥86.9K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-54.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 ¥53.1K

$642 COP 2.1M

-47.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$998 ¥157.3K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-50.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ¥114.7K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-28.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,617 ¥728.0K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

10.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,022 ¥318.8K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

5.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,210 ¥190.9K

$657 COP 2.1M

84.19%

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 Shiga: 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

Shiga

$337 27.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 90.5% $305

Groceries & Markets

Shiga

$294 24.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 1% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shiga

$180 15%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 17.1% $31

Eating Out

Shiga

$129 10.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 31.8% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Shiga

$109 9.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 54.6% $60

Getting Around

Shiga

$81 6.7%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 15.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Shiga

$77 6.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 25.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $551 in Shiga 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 84% higher in Shiga, 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 Shiga versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $294 vs $297 – making Shiga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Shiga

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

05:36 5:36 AM

14 h behind Shiga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,836

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 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).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shiga Medellin 14,340 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Shiga
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

Shiga 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 $1,811 per month in Shiga 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 Shiga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $551 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Shiga and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Shiga. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,207 in Shiga and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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