Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad, Iraq and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $756 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $756 in Mashhad versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Mashhad $756
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,119 in Mashhad versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Mashhad $1,119
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,481 in Mashhad versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Mashhad $1,481
Medellin $3,249

Living in Mashhad costs roughly 55% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mashhad is 44% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.49 IQD 6,781

$8.34 COP 27.0K

-46.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-42.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-28.93%

Cappuccino

$2.71 IQD 4,100

$3.13 COP 10.2K

-13.42%

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

$0.36 IQD 542

$1.77 COP 5,728

-79.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$1.42 COP 4,620

-85.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 IQD 5,090

$3.15 COP 10.2K

6.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 IQD 5,126

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-40.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 IQD 1,368

$1.53 COP 4,971

-40.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,106

$2.29 COP 7,431

-68.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,997

$1.94 COP 6,308

-31.96%

Eggs

$0.82 IQD 1,242

$3.07 COP 9,945

-73.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.41 IQD 5,157

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-65.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.98 IQD 2,985

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-81.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.95 IQD 4,463

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-78.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,556

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-74.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,377

$1.53 COP 4,957

-40.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 IQD 1,321

$2.10 COP 6,825

-58.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 971

$2.29 COP 7,439

-72.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 898

$2.11 COP 6,841

-72.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 840

$1.71 COP 5,543

-67.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 IQD 474

$1.17 COP 3,795

-73.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 IQD 321

$1.58 COP 5,125

-86.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.77 IQD 1,168

$3.91 COP 12.7K

-80.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

$14.04 COP 45.6K

-15.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 IQD 2,898

$1.76 COP 5,714

9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,832

$2.71 COP 8,796

-31.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 520

$1.18 COP 3,826

-71.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 IQD 2,965

$1.81 COP 5,860

8.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 IQD 1,972

$2.13 COP 6,906

-38.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.42 IQD 9,699

$8.13 COP 26.4K

-21.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 IQD 810

$1.28 COP 4,136

-57.81%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-51.24%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-51.59%

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

$191 IQD 288.5K

$178 COP 576.4K

7.44%

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

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

$13.89 COP 45.0K

39.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

$30.74 COP 99.7K

25.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-12.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

$7.47 COP 24.2K

29.72%

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

$143 IQD 215.6K

$790 COP 2.6M

-81.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

$12.3K COP 39.9M

-74.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-70.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-42.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

$138 COP 448.7K

-57.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

$98.8 COP 320.5K

-57.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$212 IQD 319.9K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-84.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 IQD 210.6K

$667 COP 2.2M

-79.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 IQD 571.7K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-80.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 IQD 482.6K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-69.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$862 IQD 1.3M

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-78.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 IQD 742.5K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-74.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 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 Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mashhad

$249 32.9%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 10.7% $27

Accommodation & Living

Mashhad

$139 18.4%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 379% $528

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$115 15.2%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 168% $192

Eating Out

Mashhad

$115 15.1%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 50.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$72 9.6%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 138% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$56 7.4%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 1.3% $0.7

Getting Around

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 847% $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 $212 in Mashhad and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27 in Mashhad vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $115 vs $307 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

03:03 3:03 AM

8 h behind Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,694 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mashhad Medellin 12,060 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mashhad
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

Mashhad vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $756 in Mashhad and $1,692 in Medellin, so Mashhad is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,134 in Mashhad and $2,538 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: $212 in Mashhad versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $143 in Mashhad versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mashhad – a meal for two runs $27 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $756 in Mashhad versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad 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.