Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $652 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$652

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $652 in Basra versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Basra $652
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,179 in Basra versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Basra $1,179
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,706 in Basra versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Basra $1,706
Medellin $3,190

Living in Basra costs roughly 60% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Basra is 52% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 IQD 6,134

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-48.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.00 IQD 39.3K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-43.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.42 IQD 9,706

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-32.42%

Cappuccino

$2.21 IQD 3,342

$3.11 COP 9,866

-28.94%

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

$0.36 IQD 551

$1.83 COP 5,800

-80.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 455

$1.38 COP 4,360

-78.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 IQD 4,849

$3.05 COP 9,672

5.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 IQD 5,394

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-35.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,460

$1.45 COP 4,600

-33.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 IQD 841

$2.36 COP 7,496

-76.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 IQD 1,895

$1.68 COP 5,328

-25.60%

Eggs

$1.62 IQD 2,442

$2.86 COP 9,077

-43.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.28 IQD 9,486

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-38.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 IQD 8,061

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-44.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-13.68%

Apples (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,356

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-77.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,787

$1.50 COP 4,742

-21.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,266

$2.17 COP 6,891

-61.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 904

$2.31 COP 7,310

-74.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,044

$1.93 COP 6,113

-64.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 IQD 802

$1.64 COP 5,196

-67.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 IQD 1,160

$1.13 COP 3,571

-31.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 546

$1.25 COP 3,954

-71.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 IQD 2,705

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-55.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 IQD 16.5K

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-18.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,204

$1.70 COP 5,384

-14.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 IQD 2,617

$2.37 COP 7,525

-27.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 756

$1.21 COP 3,827

-58.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.76 IQD 25.3K

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-78.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 IQD 2,946

$1.32 COP 4,179

47.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 IQD 2,930

$2.14 COP 6,774

-9.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.35 IQD 9,594

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-25.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 849

$1.30 COP 4,114

-56.92%

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

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-58.07%

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

$19.5K IQD 29.5M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-44.89%

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

$44.55 IQD 67.3K

$172 COP 545.6K

-74.11%

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

$22.24 IQD 33.6K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

66.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.88 IQD 51.2K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

17.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.91 IQD 46.7K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-31.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.94 IQD 18.0K

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-29.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 IQD 9,898

$6.28 COP 19.9K

4.30%

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

$109 IQD 164.7K

$770 COP 2.4M

-85.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,250 IQD 4.9M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-63.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.34 IQD 65.5K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-49.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.27 IQD 26.1K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-69.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

$137 COP 432.9K

-50.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.95 IQD 54.3K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-63.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 IQD 617.4K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-61.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 IQD 195.6K

$616 COP 2.0M

-78.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 IQD 1.1M

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-60.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 IQD 814.7K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-47.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,363 IQD 2.1M

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-66.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$688 IQD 1.0M

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-59.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 IQD 979.0K

$652 COP 2.1M

-0.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

10.94

-69.56%

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

Last update for Basra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$170 26%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 73.7% $125

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$129 19.9%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 376% $486

Eating Out

Basra

$104 16%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 61.7% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$101 15.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 113% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.3%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 131% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$44 6.8%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 31.4% $14

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 207% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Basra and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 1% 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: $26.00 in Basra vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $295 per month, with Basra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:40 1:40 AM

17:40 5:40 PM

8 h behind Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Basra Medellin 12,740 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Basra
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

Basra vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basra and Medellin differ by about 148% in total monthly costs ($652 vs $1,614 including rent). Basra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Medellin. 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: $409 in Basra versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Basra – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $652 in Basra versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Basra but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Basra 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 Basra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 148% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.