Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Al-miqdadiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-miqdadiyah: $767 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Al-miqdadiyah
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Al-miqdadiyah Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Al-miqdadiyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Al-miqdadiyah

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 Al-miqdadiyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $767 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Medellin $1,639
Al-miqdadiyah $767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,190 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Medellin $2,413
Al-miqdadiyah $1,190

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,614 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Medellin $3,186
Al-miqdadiyah $1,614

Living in Medellin is roughly 114% more expensive than in Al-miqdadiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Al-miqdadiyah is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$4.02 IQD 6,073

101.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$36.99 IQD 55.9K

27.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.47 IQD 11.3K

27.18%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$3.25 IQD 4,904

-7.38%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.82 IQD 1,243

119.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.33 IQD 503

327.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$5.70 IQD 8,614

-44.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$3.85 IQD 5,818

49.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.11 IQD 1,670

36.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.69 IQD 1,036

244.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.46 IQD 2,202

21.23%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.59 IQD 2,400

81.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$7.19 IQD 10.9K

41.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$4.22 IQD 6,380

133.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$12.98 IQD 19.6K

7.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$0.97 IQD 1,462

309.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.00 IQD 1,505

55.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.02 IQD 1,538

113.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$0.71 IQD 1,069

207.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.65 IQD 982

201.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.62 IQD 943

156.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.60 IQD 905

91.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.49 IQD 739

153.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.12 IQD 3,205

86.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$10.55 IQD 15.9K

29.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.41 IQD 2,125

17.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.85 IQD 2,798

22.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.29 IQD 440

303.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.68 IQD 2,539

-24.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.61 IQD 2,425

27.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$5.44 IQD 8,218

57.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$0.57 IQD 865

136.84%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$16.8K IQD 25.3M

103.20%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$16.9K IQD 25.6M

104.60%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$114 IQD 172.7K

48.37%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$12.20 IQD 18.4K

11.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$23.98 IQD 36.2K

17.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

12.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$9.98 IQD 15.1K

-30.76%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$291 IQD 440.0K

173.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$2,756 IQD 4.2M

230.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$27.15 IQD 41.0K

212.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

49.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$59.0 IQD 89.1K

128.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$59.5 IQD 89.9K

64.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$204 IQD 308.5K

491.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$156 IQD 235.1K

311.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$341 IQD 515.3K

494.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$291 IQD 438.9K

248.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$921 IQD 1.4M

352.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$518 IQD 782.4K

268.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.53

332.41%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Al-miqdadiyah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Al-miqdadiyah

$156 20.3% 75.7% $486

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Al-miqdadiyah

$173 22.6% 41.6% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Al-miqdadiyah

$151 19.6% 28.8% $61

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Al-miqdadiyah

$134 17.5% 20.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Al-miqdadiyah

$83 10.8% 50.9% $86

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Al-miqdadiyah

$11 * 1.4% 88.4% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Al-miqdadiyah

$59 7.7% 2.1% $1.2

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 $1,208 in Medellin and $204 in Al-miqdadiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $37 in Al-miqdadiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $174 per month, with Al-miqdadiyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇶 Al-miqdadiyah

🕒 Local time

21:16 9:16 PM

05:16 5:16 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

155,968

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Al-miqdadiyah 12,340 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Al-miqdadiyah

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 Al-miqdadiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $767 in Al-miqdadiyah, so Al-miqdadiyah is about 53% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,150 in Al-miqdadiyah 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $204 in Al-miqdadiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 71% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $767 in Al-miqdadiyah – Al-miqdadiyah is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $767 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Al-miqdadiyah but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Al-miqdadiyah 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.