Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shizuoka and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Shizuoka: $1,138 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Shizuoka
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Shizuoka Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Shizuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,138 per month in Shizuoka vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Shizuoka $1,138
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,789 per month in Shizuoka vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Shizuoka $1,789
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $2,441 per month in Shizuoka vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Shizuoka $2,441
Medellin $3,190

Shizuoka is about 30% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Shizuoka sits 16% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 ¥1,015

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-19.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.81 ¥5,026

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-31.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥802

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-46.53%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ¥468

$3.11 COP 9,866

-4.82%

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

$0.97 ¥152

$1.83 COP 5,800

-46.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥119

$1.38 COP 4,360

-44.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥435

$3.05 COP 9,672

-9.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ¥605

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-30.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.45 COP 4,600

4.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ¥198

$2.36 COP 7,496

-47.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 ¥709

$1.68 COP 5,328

167.26%

Eggs

$1.83 ¥289

$2.86 COP 9,077

-36.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 ¥1,123

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-30.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 ¥853

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-43.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.11 ¥2,229

$14.04 COP 44.5K

0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ¥519

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-19.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 ¥305

$1.50 COP 4,742

28.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 ¥541

$2.17 COP 6,891

57.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 ¥495

$2.31 COP 7,310

35.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.93 COP 6,113

-21.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ¥179

$1.64 COP 5,196

-31.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.13 COP 3,571

-1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥135

$1.25 COP 3,954

-31.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 ¥610

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-3.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.70 ¥1,375

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-34.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.70 COP 5,384

-12.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.37 COP 7,525

36.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 ¥283

$1.21 COP 3,827

47.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ¥8,514

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-29.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 ¥546

$1.32 COP 4,179

162.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 ¥293

$2.14 COP 6,774

-13.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.01 ¥3,003

$8.47 COP 26.8K

124.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ¥165

$1.30 COP 4,114

-20.00%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-22.51%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-56.86%

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

$138 ¥21.8K

$172 COP 545.6K

-19.78%

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

$15.18 ¥2,398

$13.37 COP 42.4K

13.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 ¥4,764

$28.73 COP 91.1K

4.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 ¥8,316

$45.24 COP 143.5K

16.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.82 ¥1,709

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-36.50%

Cinema Ticket

$12.21 ¥1,928

$6.28 COP 19.9K

94.43%

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

$320 ¥50.5K

$770 COP 2.4M

-58.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K ¥2.1M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

47.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.49 ¥2,921

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-78.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ¥3,378

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-62.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.6 ¥9,725

$137 COP 432.9K

-54.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 ¥14.3K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-7.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$331 ¥52.3K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-68.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥52.6K

$616 COP 2.0M

-45.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 ¥171.2K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-42.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$731 ¥115.5K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-28.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,146 ¥655.0K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

2.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,741 ¥275.0K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

3.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,232 ¥352.7K

$652 COP 2.1M

242.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-90.86%

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

Last update for Shizuoka: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shizuoka

$333 29.3%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 85.1% $283

Groceries & Markets

Shizuoka

$254 22.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 16.1% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shizuoka

$183 16.1%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 16.8% $31

Eating Out

Shizuoka

$131 11.5%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 29% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Shizuoka

$86 7.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 96.9% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Shizuoka

$77 6.8%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 25% $19

Getting Around

Shizuoka

$74 6.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 26.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $331 in Shizuoka 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.

Salaries run about 242% higher in Shizuoka, 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 $32.00 in Shizuoka versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $254 vs $295 – making Shizuoka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Shizuoka

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

19:45 7:45 PM

14 h behind Shizuoka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,803

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 19, 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 19, 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 →

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Between locations

Shizuoka Medellin 14,210 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Shizuoka
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

Shizuoka vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,706 per month in Shizuoka 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 Shizuoka, 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 $32.00 in Shizuoka 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 $1,138 in Shizuoka and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 42%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Shizuoka, where all-in costs run around $1,138, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Shizuoka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shizuoka – 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 Shizuoka. 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.