Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Hillah and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Hillah: $693 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Al Hillah
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Al Hillah Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Al Hillah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$693

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $693 per month in Al Hillah vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Al Hillah $693
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,067 per month in Al Hillah vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Al Hillah $1,067
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,442 per month in Al Hillah vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Al Hillah $1,442
Medellin $3,186

Al Hillah is about 58% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Al Hillah sits 49% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 IQD 7,083

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-42.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.52 IQD 40.1K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-43.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.51 IQD 8,326

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-42.00%

Cappuccino

$2.69 IQD 4,068

$3.01 COP 9,485

-10.63%

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

$0.34 IQD 519

$1.80 COP 5,660

-81.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 309

$1.41 COP 4,443

-85.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 IQD 4,121

$3.18 COP 9,990

-14.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 IQD 5,063

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-41.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,463

$1.51 COP 4,751

-35.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 IQD 963

$2.38 COP 7,480

-73.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 IQD 2,080

$1.77 COP 5,573

-22.03%

Eggs

$1.54 IQD 2,330

$2.89 COP 9,093

-46.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.36 IQD 5,083

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-67.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.01 IQD 6,065

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-59.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.29 IQD 18.6K

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-12.15%

Apples (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,450

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-75.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,443

$1.55 COP 4,883

-38.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,367

$2.18 COP 6,867

-58.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,032

$2.18 COP 6,870

-68.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 883

$1.96 COP 6,174

-70.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 912

$1.59 COP 5,000

-62.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 IQD 786

$1.15 COP 3,604

-54.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 780

$1.24 COP 3,911

-58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.66 IQD 2,515

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-58.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.71 IQD 17.7K

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-14.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 IQD 2,876

$1.66 COP 5,221

14.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,966

$2.26 COP 7,103

-13.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 518

$1.17 COP 3,674

-70.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.0 IQD 83.1K

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-28.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 IQD 2,968

$1.27 COP 3,989

54.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 IQD 1,939

$2.05 COP 6,442

-37.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 IQD 4,506

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-65.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 IQD 757

$1.35 COP 4,237

-62.96%

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

$14.8K IQD 22.4M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-56.44%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-52.12%

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

$65.1 IQD 98.3K

$170 COP 533.7K

-61.64%

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

$13.34 IQD 20.2K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-1.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.35 IQD 50.4K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

18.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.62 IQD 29.7K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-55.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.36 IQD 24.7K

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-4.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.44 IQD 9,724

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-6.80%

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

$81.2 IQD 122.6K

$797 COP 2.5M

-89.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$664 IQD 1.0M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-92.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.98 IQD 28.7K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-77.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.34 IQD 32.2K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-63.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 IQD 87.4K

$135 COP 424.6K

-57.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.36 IQD 64.0K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-56.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$245 IQD 369.5K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-79.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 IQD 228.6K

$642 COP 2.0M

-76.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 IQD 659.1K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-78.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 IQD 389.8K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-74.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,477 IQD 2.2M

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-64.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$483 IQD 729.4K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-74.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$436 IQD 659.3K

$657 COP 2.1M

-33.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

10.94

-62.34%

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

Last update for Al Hillah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al Hillah

$160 23.2%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 85.1% $137

Accommodation & Living

Al Hillah

$151 21.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 324% $490

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Hillah

$112 16.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 89% $100

Eating Out

Al Hillah

$109 15.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 55.8% $61

Getting Around

Al Hillah

$65 9.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 44.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Al Hillah

$63 9.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 167% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Al Hillah

$32 4.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 77.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $245 in Al Hillah 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 51% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Al Hillah versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $160 vs $297 – making Al Hillah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al Hillah

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

21:14 9:14 PM

8 h behind Al Hillah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,729,666

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Al Hillah Medellin 12,360 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Al Hillah
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

Al Hillah vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 137%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,039 per month in Al Hillah 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 Al Hillah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $245 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Al Hillah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $81 per month in Al Hillah and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al Hillah, where all-in costs run around $693, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Al Hillah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Al Hillah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.