Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ba'qubah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ba'qubah: $524 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Ba'qubah
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Ba'qubah Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Ba'qubah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ba'qubah

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 Ba'qubah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $524 in Ba'qubah.

Medellin $1,614
Ba'qubah $524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $826 in Ba'qubah.

Medellin $2,402
Ba'qubah $826

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $1,128 in Ba'qubah.

Medellin $3,190
Ba'qubah $1,128

Living in Medellin is roughly 208% more expensive than in Ba'qubah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Ba'qubah is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$4.18 IQD 6,323

89.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$13.31 IQD 20.1K

246.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$5.70 IQD 8,615

66.67%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.01 IQD 1,520

207.92%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.47 IQD 707

289.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.18 IQD 266

666.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.66 IQD 2,516

83.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$4.05 IQD 6,113

35.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.03 IQD 1,559

40.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.47 IQD 704

402.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.03 IQD 1,552

63.11%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.27 IQD 1,924

125.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$2.00 IQD 3,016

409.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$2.10 IQD 3,179

353.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$9.09 IQD 13.7K

54.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$0.84 IQD 1,266

384.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$0.93 IQD 1,402

61.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$0.85 IQD 1,290

155.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$0.47 IQD 711

391.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.51 IQD 776

278.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.60 IQD 908

173.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.43 IQD 648

162.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.15 IQD 220

733.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.20 IQD 3,326

81.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$10.64 IQD 16.1K

25.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.45 IQD 2,197

17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.80 IQD 2,722

31.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.43 IQD 644

181.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$18.36 IQD 27.7K

316.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.61 IQD 2,427

-18.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.57 IQD 2,368

36.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$4.71 IQD 7,120

79.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.31 IQD 473

319.35%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

70.45%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$17.4K IQD 26.3M

103.57%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$50.1 IQD 75.6K

243.77%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

10.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$22.83 IQD 34.5K

25.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$16.53 IQD 25.0K

173.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$3.36 IQD 5,078

86.90%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$22.77 IQD 34.4K

3282.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$555 IQD 838.8K

1523.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$16.58 IQD 25.0K

421.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$16.76 IQD 25.3K

240.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$60.1 IQD 90.9K

127.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$22.70 IQD 34.3K

331.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$178 IQD 268.4K

493.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$130 IQD 197.1K

372.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$371 IQD 560.2K

410.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$308 IQD 465.5K

231.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$704 IQD 1.1M

476.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$579 IQD 874.1K

190.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$627 IQD 946.7K

4.13%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Ba'qubah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Ba'qubah

$130 24.9% 78.8% $485

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Ba'qubah

$122 23.3% 58.7% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Ba'qubah

$85 16.2% 60.3% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Ba'qubah

$52 10% 69.3% $118

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Ba'qubah

$82 15.6% 51.5% $87

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Ba'qubah

$30 5.6% 68.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Ba'qubah

$23 4.4% 59.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $178 in Ba'qubah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $13.00 in Ba'qubah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $122 per month, with Ba'qubah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇶 Ba'qubah

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

05:44 5:44 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

268,866

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.88 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 = 3,570 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.88 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Ba'qubah 12,320 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ba'qubah

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 Ba'qubah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ba'qubah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 208% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Medellin versus $178 in Ba'qubah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 142% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ba'qubah – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $524 in Ba'qubah versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ba'qubah but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Ba'qubah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ba'qubah is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Ba'qubah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 208% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.