Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-mawsil and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-mawsil: $598 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Al-mawsil
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Al-mawsil Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Al-mawsil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$598

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $598 in Al-mawsil versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Al-mawsil $598
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $903 in Al-mawsil versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Al-mawsil $903
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,207 in Al-mawsil versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Al-mawsil $1,207
Medellin $3,186

Living in Al-mawsil costs roughly 64% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al-mawsil is 56% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 IQD 6,148

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-49.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.40 IQD 15.7K

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-77.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 IQD 7,571

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-47.26%

Cappuccino

$0.64 IQD 974

$3.01 COP 9,735

-78.74%

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

$0.35 IQD 522

$1.80 COP 5,809

-80.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 IQD 279

$1.41 COP 4,561

-87.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 IQD 1,311

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-72.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 IQD 2,051

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-76.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.64 IQD 970

$1.51 COP 4,876

-57.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 IQD 978

$2.38 COP 7,678

-72.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 830

$1.77 COP 5,720

-68.93%

Eggs

$0.95 IQD 1,440

$2.89 COP 9,333

-67.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 IQD 10.9K

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-29.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.88 IQD 4,353

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-70.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.14 IQD 12.3K

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-41.82%

Apples (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 963

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-83.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 972

$1.55 COP 5,012

-58.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.48 IQD 728

$2.18 COP 7,048

-77.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.22 IQD 331

$2.18 COP 7,051

-89.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.25 IQD 375

$1.96 COP 6,337

-87.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 IQD 474

$1.59 COP 5,132

-80.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 911

$1.15 COP 3,699

-47.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 IQD 740

$1.24 COP 4,014

-60.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 IQD 2,439

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-59.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 IQD 16.5K

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-20.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,195

$1.66 COP 5,359

-12.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 IQD 2,714

$2.26 COP 7,291

-20.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 IQD 475

$1.17 COP 3,771

-73.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.19 IQD 39.6K

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-66.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 IQD 2,438

$1.27 COP 4,094

26.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,420

$2.05 COP 6,612

-21.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 IQD 6,021

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-53.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.31 IQD 472

$1.35 COP 4,349

-77.04%

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

$13.0K IQD 19.7M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-61.77%

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

$15.3K IQD 23.2M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-55.74%

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

$93.7 IQD 141.5K

$170 COP 547.8K

-44.79%

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

$12.00 IQD 18.1K

$13.55 COP 43.8K

-11.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.95 IQD 34.7K

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-18.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.48 IQD 56.6K

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-14.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.48 IQD 9,784

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-62.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.42 IQD 9,708

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-7.09%

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

$301 IQD 455.1K

$797 COP 2.6M

-62.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$604 IQD 912.4K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-93.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.49 IQD 24.9K

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-80.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.99 IQD 19.6K

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-77.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.0 IQD 90.6K

$135 COP 435.8K

-55.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$15.65 IQD 23.6K

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-84.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$211 IQD 318.8K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-82.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 IQD 209.6K

$642 COP 2.1M

-78.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 IQD 557.1K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-81.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 IQD 466.9K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-69.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$851 IQD 1.3M

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-79.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$435 IQD 657.4K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-77.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$521 IQD 787.2K

$657 COP 2.1M

-20.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

10.94

-76.87%

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

Last update for Al-mawsil: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al-mawsil

$139 23.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 362% $503

Groceries & Markets

Al-mawsil

$132 22%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 125% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-mawsil

$129 21.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 64.3% $83

Eating Out

Al-mawsil

$64 10.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 163% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Al-mawsil

$50 8.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 14.3% $7.2

Clothing & Footwear

Al-mawsil

$47 7.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 257% $122

Getting Around

Al-mawsil

$37 6.2%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 152% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $211 in Al-mawsil and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 26% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $10 in Al-mawsil vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $132 vs $297 per month, with Al-mawsil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-mawsil

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

23:38 11:38 PM

8 h behind Al-mawsil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,683,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Al-mawsil Medellin 12,080 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Al-mawsil is about 64% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Al-mawsil. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $211 in Al-mawsil versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $301 in Al-mawsil versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 125% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $598 in Al-mawsil versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al-mawsil but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Al-mawsil the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Al-mawsil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.