✦ Compare
Medellín vs
Osaka
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
To keep the same standard of living in Osaka, JP, you'd need
$146,272 / year
Osaka, JP is 95% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Osaka, JP vs Medellín, CO)
- Housing+119%
- Food & groceries+104%
- Transport+105%
- Utilities+100%
- Healthcare+55%
- Goods & services+79%
◎ How Medellín, CO and Osaka, JP compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Medellín, CO | Osaka, JP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 49 | 96 |
| Housing | 42 | 92 |
| Food | 48 | 98 |
| Transport | 40 | 82 |
| Utilities | 55 | 110 |
| Healthcare | 55 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 58 | 104 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $550/mo | $850/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $350/mo | $600/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,100/mo | $1,600/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $1,800 | $6,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $2,029 | $1,040 |
| Inexpensive meal | $5 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $40 | $60 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 39% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 19% | 10% |
| Corporate tax | 35% | 30% |
| Capital gains | — | 20.3% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $450/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Minimum wage | $330/mo | $1,300/mo |
| GDP per capita | $6,976 | $35,951 |
| Inflation (annual) | 5.2% | 3.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Low | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 40 | 25 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 48 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 70 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 55 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 80 Mbps | 230 Mbps |
| Walkability | 55 | 80 |
| Public transport | 68 | 88 |
| Family-friendly | 58 | 72 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 74 yr | 84 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +22 °C | +6 °C |
| July avg | +22 °C | +28 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,600 mm | 1,300 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1.5 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Colombia vs Japan. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Medellín
A dramatic turnaround story with a year-round spring climate and a modern metro. El Poblado and Laureles anchor a booming nomad scene; costs are low and healthcare excellent, but safety still varies sharply by neighbourhood.
- Currency
- Colombian peso ($ COP)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- UTC-5
- Internet
- 80 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ 22°C · ☀ 22°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 110V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- El Poblado · Laureles · Envigado · Belén
Good to know before you move to Osaka
Japan's warm, wisecracking second city and its street-food heart — cheaper and more laid-back than Tokyo, with the same safety, transit and reliability. The gateway to Kansai (Kyoto and Kobe are minutes away), it's an easy-going base with a big food and startup scene.
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥ JPY)
- Languages
- Japanese
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 230 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 6°C · ☀ 28°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 100V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Namba · Umeda · Tennoji · Nakazakicho
Plan your move to Medellín
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Osaka
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Medellín to Osaka: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Medellín to Osaka, your cost of living will be roughly 95% more expensive. Osaka’s cost-of-living index is 96 versus 49 for Medellín (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Medellín cheaper than Osaka?
Osaka is about 95% more expensive than Medellín overall — its cost-of-living index is 96 versus 49 for Medellín.
How much do you need to earn in Osaka to live like in Medellín?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Medellín is worth about $146,272 in Osaka. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Medellín or Osaka?
Colombia has the lower top income-tax rate — 39% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from Medellín
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.