Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and An Najaf

For one person, living is cheaper in An Najaf: $586 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in An Najaf
Learn more

An Najaf Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

An Najaf

🇮🇶 Iraq

$586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in An Najaf

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 An Najaf actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $586 in An Najaf, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
An Najaf $586

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $888 in An Najaf, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
An Najaf $888

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,190 in An Najaf, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
An Najaf $1,190

Medellin costs about 176% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while An Najaf is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$4.06 IQD 6,132

95.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$19.68 IQD 29.7K

134.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.25 IQD 6,429

123.53%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.29 IQD 3,455

35.81%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.33 IQD 494

454.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.20 IQD 302

590.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$3.22 IQD 4,872

-5.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$1.98 IQD 2,989

177.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$0.90 IQD 1,363

61.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.68 IQD 1,022

247.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.31 IQD 1,981

28.24%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.48 IQD 2,240

93.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$3.41 IQD 5,154

198.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.07 IQD 6,157

134.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$9.27 IQD 14.0K

51.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.01 IQD 1,530

302.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$0.96 IQD 1,445

56.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$0.88 IQD 1,333

146.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$0.63 IQD 950

266.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.58 IQD 880

232.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.56 IQD 841

192.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.58 IQD 875

94.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.49 IQD 742

155.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$1.70 IQD 2,564

134.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$11.66 IQD 17.6K

14.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.92 IQD 2,907

-11.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.93 IQD 2,923

22.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.33 IQD 492

266.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$18.92 IQD 28.6K

304.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.34 IQD 2,022

-1.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.29 IQD 1,942

65.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$5.36 IQD 8,095

58.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.39 IQD 584

233.33%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$12.0K IQD 18.1M

133.44%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

111.64%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$34.90 IQD 52.7K

393.09%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$14.79 IQD 22.3K

-9.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$32.93 IQD 49.8K

-12.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$25.24 IQD 38.1K

79.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$8.38 IQD 12.7K

-25.06%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$147 IQD 222.3K

423.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$799 IQD 1.2M

1028.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$14.90 IQD 22.5K

479.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$23.76 IQD 35.9K

140.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$60.5 IQD 91.5K

125.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$41.72 IQD 63.0K

134.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$235 IQD 354.8K

349.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$124 IQD 187.9K

395.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$319 IQD 481.5K

493.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$194 IQD 292.4K

428.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,118 IQD 1.7M

263.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$455 IQD 687.3K

268.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$659 IQD 996.4K

-1.07%

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 12, 2026

Last update for An Najaf: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

An Najaf

$124 21.2% 79.8% $491

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

An Najaf

$151 25.7% 48.9% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

An Najaf

$83 14.1% 61.4% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

An Najaf

$63 10.8% 62.7% $107

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

An Najaf

$95 16.2% 43.7% $74

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

An Najaf

$28 4.8% 70% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

An Najaf

$42 7.2% 27.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $235 in An Najaf. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1% higher in An Najaf, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $20.00 in An Najaf. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $151 – making An Najaf the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇶 An Najaf

🕒 Local time

15:13 3:13 PM

23:13 11:13 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,221,248

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin An Najaf 12,370 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
An Najaf

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 An Najaf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 176% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $879 in An Najaf. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in An Najaf, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $586 in An Najaf. That's a gap of about 176%.

Public transport costs about 304% less in An Najaf. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in An Najaf, where all-in costs run around $586, than in Medellin at $1,614. In An Najaf it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. An Najaf costs $586 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with An Najaf. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.