Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ad Diwaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Diwaniyah: $559 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Ad Diwaniyah
🇮🇶 Iraq
$559
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ad Diwaniyah

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Ad Diwaniyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $559 in Ad Diwaniyah, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Ad Diwaniyah $559

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $876 in Ad Diwaniyah, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Ad Diwaniyah $876

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,193 in Ad Diwaniyah, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Ad Diwaniyah $1,193

Medellin costs about 193% more than Ad Diwaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Ad Diwaniyah is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Ad Diwaniyah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$2.75 IQD 4,151
194.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.9K
$9.87 IQD 14.9K
376.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$4.61 IQD 6,956
106.07%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,540
$1.62 IQD 2,440
85.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,693
$0.36 IQD 538
400.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,469
$0.22 IQD 332
540.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.0K
$3.24 IQD 4,898
-1.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
$3.23 IQD 4,873
78.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Ad Diwaniyah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,778
$0.95 IQD 1,439
58.95%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,524
$0.69 IQD 1,045
244.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,606
$1.13 IQD 1,707
56.64%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,146
$1.69 IQD 2,550
71.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.2K
$3.40 IQD 5,138
199.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.2K
$3.38 IQD 5,108
192.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.3K
$9.80 IQD 14.8K
42.76%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$0.69 IQD 1,037
475.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,911
$0.65 IQD 980
138.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,907
$0.64 IQD 967
240.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,910
$0.68 IQD 1,027
220.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,210
$0.55 IQD 836
256.36%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,029
$0.55 IQD 837
189.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,625
$0.32 IQD 482
259.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,934
$0.62 IQD 929
100.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$1.69 IQD 2,558
134.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.3K
$3.24 IQD 4,900
322.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,252
$1.89 IQD 2,857
-12.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,145
$1.97 IQD 2,971
14.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Ad Diwaniyah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,696
$0.38 IQD 572
207.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 244.8K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,013
$2.04 IQD 3,074
-37.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,480
$0.80 IQD 1,201
156.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.1K
$6.52 IQD 9,844
31.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,262
$0.29 IQD 431
365.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.8M
$16.4K IQD 24.7M
108.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.7M
$16.7K IQD 25.3M
107.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Ad Diwaniyah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 536.8K
$33.29 IQD 50.3K
409.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.9K
$14.94 IQD 22.6K
-9.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.8K
$33.23 IQD 50.2K
-15.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Ad Diwaniyah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.3K
$36.21 IQD 54.7K
20.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.4K
$6.76 IQD 10.2K
154.29%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
$6.45 IQD 9,745
7.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Ad Diwaniyah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$65.8 IQD 99.4K
1110.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.8M
$3,258 IQD 4.9M
179.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Ad Diwaniyah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 268.1K
$25.65 IQD 38.7K
230.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.4K
$33.66 IQD 50.8K
72.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 427.1K
$58.6 IQD 88.5K
130.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 309.7K
$42.15 IQD 63.6K
132.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Ad Diwaniyah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$204 IQD 308.8K
490.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$140 IQD 210.6K
359.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$368 IQD 555.4K
451.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$316 IQD 477.8K
219.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.2M
$890 IQD 1.3M
368.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$498 IQD 752.4K
283.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Ad Diwaniyah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$328 IQD 495.4K
100.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
4.12
165.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ad Diwaniyah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Ad Diwaniyah
$140 78.3% $502
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Ad Diwaniyah
$129 56.6% $168
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Ad Diwaniyah
$81 61.4% $130
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Ad Diwaniyah
$80 52.7% $89
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Ad Diwaniyah
$72 57.4% $97
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Ad Diwaniyah
$7.5 * 92% $86
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Ad Diwaniyah
$49 14.6% $8.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $204 in Ad Diwaniyah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $10 in Ad Diwaniyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $129 – making Ad Diwaniyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇮🇶 Ad Diwaniyah
🕒 Local time
21:14 9:14 PM
05:14 5:14 AM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
650,927
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,510 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,681 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Ad Diwaniyah 12,420 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Ad Diwaniyah

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
Medellin vs Ad Diwaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ad Diwaniyah cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 193%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $838 in Ad Diwaniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ad Diwaniyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Ad Diwaniyah?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $559 in Ad Diwaniyah. That makes Ad Diwaniyah about 66% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $66 in Ad Diwaniyah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Ad Diwaniyah?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ad Diwaniyah, where all-in costs run around $559, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Ad Diwaniyah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Ad Diwaniyah more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Ad Diwaniyah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Ad Diwaniyah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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