Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Halabjah and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Halabjah: $634 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Halabjah
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Halabjah Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Halabjah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$634

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $634 in Halabjah versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Halabjah $634
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $962 in Halabjah versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Halabjah $962
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,291 in Halabjah versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Halabjah $1,291
Medellin $3,186

Living in Halabjah costs roughly 61% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Halabjah is 53% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.24 IQD 4,895

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-59.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.71 IQD 25.2K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-64.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 IQD 10.2K

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-28.74%

Cappuccino

$1.68 IQD 2,542

$3.01 COP 9,485

-44.19%

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

$0.35 IQD 536

$1.80 COP 5,660

-80.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$1.41 COP 4,443

-84.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 IQD 3,445

$3.18 COP 9,990

-28.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 IQD 4,939

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-43.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.51 IQD 770

$1.51 COP 4,751

-66.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 IQD 1,046

$2.38 COP 7,480

-71.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 IQD 1,973

$1.77 COP 5,573

-25.99%

Eggs

$1.34 IQD 2,027

$2.89 COP 9,093

-53.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.29 IQD 4,978

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-67.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.69 IQD 2,548

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-82.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.54 IQD 12.9K

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-38.96%

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,032

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-82.87%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,450

$1.55 COP 4,883

-38.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,040

$2.18 COP 6,867

-68.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,036

$2.18 COP 6,870

-68.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 834

$1.96 COP 6,174

-71.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 896

$1.59 COP 5,000

-62.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 IQD 831

$1.15 COP 3,604

-52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 IQD 867

$1.24 COP 3,911

-54.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 IQD 2,456

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-58.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-14.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 IQD 2,509

$1.66 COP 5,221

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 IQD 1,271

$2.26 COP 7,103

-62.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 482

$1.17 COP 3,674

-72.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 IQD 2,041

$1.27 COP 3,989

6.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 IQD 1,969

$2.05 COP 6,442

-36.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 IQD 3,052

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-76.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 881

$1.35 COP 4,237

-57.04%

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

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-52.33%

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

$8,168 IQD 12.3M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-76.44%

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

$132 IQD 199.2K

$170 COP 533.7K

-22.30%

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

$9.67 IQD 14.6K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-28.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.32 IQD 38.3K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-9.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.13 IQD 56.1K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-15.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$10.17 IQD 15.4K

$6.91 COP 21.7K

47.18%

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

$144 IQD 217.4K

$797 COP 2.5M

-81.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,251 IQD 4.9M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-64.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$6.72 IQD 10.2K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-92.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.06 IQD 51.5K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-41.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.6 IQD 90.1K

$135 COP 424.6K

-55.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.04 IQD 62.0K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-58.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$186 IQD 281.7K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-84.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 IQD 185.5K

$642 COP 2.0M

-80.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$363 IQD 548.0K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-82.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 IQD 470.0K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-69.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$840 IQD 1.3M

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-79.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$446 IQD 674.5K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-76.63%

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 Halabjah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Halabjah

$167 26.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 26.7% $44

Groceries & Markets

Halabjah

$127 20.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 134% $170

Accommodation & Living

Halabjah

$123 19.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 423% $519

Eating Out

Halabjah

$87 13.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 95.7% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Halabjah

$64 10%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 166% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Halabjah

$57 9.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Halabjah

$9.1 * 1.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 924% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $186 in Halabjah and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $17 in Halabjah vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $127 vs $297 per month, with Halabjah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Halabjah

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

07:31 7:31 AM

8 h behind Halabjah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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 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).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Halabjah Medellin 12,360 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Halabjah
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

Halabjah vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Halabjah and Medellin differ by about 159% in total monthly costs ($634 vs $1,639 including rent). Halabjah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $950 in Halabjah and $2,459 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $186 in Halabjah versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $144 in Halabjah versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Halabjah – a meal for two runs $17 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $634 in Halabjah versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Halabjah but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Halabjah 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.