Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Baghdadi

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdadi: $640 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Baghdadi
Learn more

Baghdadi Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Baghdadi

🇮🇶 Iraq

$640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Baghdadi

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $640 in Baghdadi, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Baghdadi $640

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $986 in Baghdadi, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Baghdadi $986

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,331 in Baghdadi, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Baghdadi $1,331

Medellin costs about 152% more than Baghdadi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Baghdadi is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$3.97 IQD 5,997

99.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$14.10 IQD 21.3K

227.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.80 IQD 10.3K

39.71%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.93 IQD 2,916

61.14%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.41 IQD 623

346.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.22 IQD 325

527.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.55 IQD 3,856

19.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.34 IQD 3,533

135.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$0.98 IQD 1,487

47.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.49 IQD 736

381.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.65 IQD 3,998

-36.60%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.83 IQD 2,763

56.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$3.85 IQD 5,812

164.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$3.12 IQD 4,714

205.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$8.38 IQD 12.7K

67.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$0.97 IQD 1,459

319.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$0.97 IQD 1,465

54.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$0.90 IQD 1,361

141.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$0.61 IQD 925

278.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.52 IQD 783

271.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.67 IQD 1,015

144.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.51 IQD 777

121.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.57 IQD 861

119.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$1.70 IQD 2,575

134.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$10.70 IQD 16.2K

24.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.64 IQD 2,471

3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.76 IQD 2,658

34.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.40 IQD 598

202.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$22.63 IQD 34.2K

238.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.84 IQD 2,777

-28.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.51 IQD 2,276

41.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$5.49 IQD 8,292

54.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.58 IQD 871

124.14%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

72.41%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$14.7K IQD 22.3M

140.47%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$85.1 IQD 128.6K

102.24%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$13.61 IQD 20.6K

-1.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$23.83 IQD 36.0K

20.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$37.16 IQD 56.2K

21.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$9.23 IQD 14.0K

-31.96%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$148 IQD 224.3K

418.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$2,792 IQD 4.2M

222.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$20.82 IQD 31.5K

315.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$23.68 IQD 35.8K

141.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$47.50 IQD 71.8K

187.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$31.69 IQD 47.9K

208.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$173 IQD 261.7K

509.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$131 IQD 197.2K

371.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$378 IQD 571.6K

400.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$311 IQD 470.0K

228.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$722 IQD 1.1M

462.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$571 IQD 862.4K

194.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$501 IQD 757.4K

30.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.33

228.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Baghdadi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Baghdadi

$131 20.4% 78.8% $485

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Baghdadi

$147 23% 50.1% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Baghdadi

$123 19.1% 42.8% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Baghdadi

$56 8.7% 67.3% $114

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Baghdadi

$95 14.9% 43.4% $73

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Baghdadi

$34 5.3% 64% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Baghdadi

$56 8.7% 3.8% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $173 in Baghdadi. 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 30% higher in Medellin, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $14.00 in Baghdadi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $147 – making Baghdadi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇶 Baghdadi

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

20:28 8:28 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 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 Baghdadi 12,140 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Baghdadi

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 Baghdadi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 152%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $960 in Baghdadi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Baghdadi, 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 $640 in Baghdadi. That's a gap of about 152%.

Public transport costs about 238% less in Baghdadi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Baghdadi, where all-in costs run around $640, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Baghdadi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Baghdadi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Baghdadi. 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.