Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Kut and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kut: $660 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Al Kut, Iraq
Medellin, Colombia
Al Kut
🇮🇶 Iraq
$660
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $660 per month in Al Kut vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Al Kut $660
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,016 per month in Al Kut vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Al Kut $1,016
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,372 per month in Al Kut vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Al Kut $1,372
  • Medellin $3,186

Al Kut is about 60% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Al Kut sits 52% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Al Kut
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.05 IQD 6,122
$8.09 COP 25.4K
-49.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.78 IQD 28.4K
$47.05 COP 148.0K
-60.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.05 IQD 9,139
$9.50 COP 29.9K
-36.32%
Cappuccino
$2.51 IQD 3,795
$3.01 COP 9,485
-16.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 IQD 583
$1.80 COP 5,660
-78.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.23 IQD 342
$1.41 COP 4,443
-83.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.84 IQD 4,294
$3.18 COP 9,990
-10.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 IQD 4,030
$5.75 COP 18.1K
-53.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Al Kut
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 IQD 1,543
$1.51 COP 4,751
-32.45%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 IQD 1,097
$2.38 COP 7,480
-69.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.49 IQD 2,246
$1.77 COP 5,573
-15.82%
Eggs
$1.60 IQD 2,411
$2.89 COP 9,093
-44.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.85 IQD 5,821
$10.19 COP 32.1K
-62.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.58 IQD 5,410
$9.87 COP 31.1K
-63.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.64 IQD 17.6K
$13.99 COP 44.0K
-16.80%
Apples (1kg)
$0.91 IQD 1,376
$3.97 COP 12.5K
-77.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.00 IQD 1,511
$1.55 COP 4,883
-35.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.85 IQD 1,289
$2.18 COP 6,867
-61.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.63 IQD 951
$2.18 COP 6,870
-71.10%
Potato (1kg)
$0.55 IQD 837
$1.96 COP 6,174
-71.94%
Onion (1kg)
$0.57 IQD 864
$1.59 COP 5,000
-64.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.56 IQD 849
$1.15 COP 3,604
-51.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 IQD 768
$1.24 COP 3,911
-58.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.71 IQD 2,577
$3.96 COP 12.5K
-56.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.61 IQD 14.5K
$13.68 COP 43.0K
-29.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 IQD 2,055
$1.66 COP 5,222
-18.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 IQD 2,918
$2.26 COP 7,104
-14.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Al Kut
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.33 IQD 493
$1.17 COP 3,674
-71.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.88 IQD 2,848
$1.27 COP 3,989
48.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.14 IQD 1,720
$2.05 COP 6,442
-44.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.53 IQD 8,349
$8.55 COP 26.9K
-35.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.50 IQD 754
$1.35 COP 4,237
-62.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$14.1K IQD 21.3M
$34.1K COP 107.2M
-58.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.4K IQD 23.3M
$34.7K COP 109.1M
-55.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Al Kut
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$86.2 IQD 130.3K
$170 COP 533.7K
-49.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.28 IQD 20.1K
$13.55 COP 42.6K
-1.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.34 IQD 44.3K
$28.07 COP 88.3K
4.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Al Kut
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.82 IQD 55.6K
$43.70 COP 137.5K
-15.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.35 IQD 14.1K
$6.91 COP 21.7K
35.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Al Kut
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$138 IQD 208.6K
$797 COP 2.5M
-82.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,820 IQD 4.3M
$9,112 COP 28.7M
-69.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Al Kut
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$20.90 IQD 31.6K
$84.7 COP 266.5K
-75.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.07 IQD 34.9K
$58.0 COP 182.3K
-60.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$58.9 IQD 88.9K
$135 COP 424.6K
-56.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$37.09 IQD 56.0K
$97.9 COP 307.9K
-62.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Al Kut
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$183 IQD 275.9K
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-84.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$149 IQD 224.5K
$642 COP 2.0M
-76.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$370 IQD 559.1K
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-81.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$320 IQD 483.8K
$1,012 COP 3.2M
-68.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$846 IQD 1.3M
$4,170 COP 13.1M
-79.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$502 IQD 758.8K
$1,910 COP 6.0M
-73.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Al Kut
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$657 COP 2.1M
-
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 Kut: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Al Kut
$152
Medellin
$297 95% $145
Accommodation & Living
Al Kut
$149
Medellin
$642 332% $493
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Al Kut
$129
Medellin
$211 64% $82
Eating Out
Al Kut
$103
Medellin
$170 65.2% $67
Clothing & Footwear
Al Kut
$63
Medellin
$169 168% $106
Sport & Entertainment
Al Kut
$56
Medellin
$58 3.6% $2
Getting Around
Al Kut
$8.9 *
Medellin
$94 954% $85

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $183 in Al Kut 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Al Kut versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $152 vs $297 – making Al Kut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇶 Al Kut
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
11:15 11:15 AM
03:15 3:15 AM
8 h behind Al Kut
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
422,793
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Al Kut Medellin 12,480 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Al Kut
  • 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 Kut vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Al Kut and in Medellin compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $660 in Al Kut, $1,639 in Medellin – roughly 148% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Al Kut compared to Medellin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $990 per month in Al Kut and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Al Kut and Medellin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Kut, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $183 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Which city is more expensive overall: Al Kut or Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $660 in Al Kut and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 148%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Al Kut and Medellin?
Kindergarten costs $138 per month in Al Kut and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Al Kut, where all-in costs run around $660, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Al Kut it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Al Kut or Medellin?
Families tend to lean toward Al Kut – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Al Kut vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?