Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Duhok

For one person, living is cheaper in Duhok: $608 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Duhok
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Duhok Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Duhok

🇮🇶 Iraq

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Duhok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $608 in Duhok.

Medellin $1,625
Duhok $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $978 in Duhok.

Medellin $2,412
Duhok $978

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $1,349 in Duhok.

Medellin $3,199
Duhok $1,349

Living in Medellin is roughly 167% more expensive than in Duhok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Duhok is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$3.38 IQD 5,111

145.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$16.59 IQD 25.1K

182.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$7.40 IQD 11.2K

24.86%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.43 IQD 3,665

25.51%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.32 IQD 481

462.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.19 IQD 294

626.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.69 IQD 2,550

91.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$1.94 IQD 2,932

186.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.11 IQD 1,680

35.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.67 IQD 1,016

253.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.48 IQD 2,232

14.86%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.58 IQD 2,391

87.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$4.87 IQD 7,359

109.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$2.96 IQD 4,478

229.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$10.95 IQD 16.6K

26.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$0.99 IQD 1,489

317.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$0.97 IQD 1,461

57.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$0.75 IQD 1,136

196.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.63 IQD 959

260.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.61 IQD 919

226.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.62 IQD 940

169.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.61 IQD 926

93.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.52 IQD 787

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$1.73 IQD 2,609

123.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$10.97 IQD 16.6K

25.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.40 IQD 2,121

18.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.79 IQD 2,700

34.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.30 IQD 459

313.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$15.64 IQD 23.6K

400.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.60 IQD 2,420

-20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$1.29 IQD 1,945

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$5.52 IQD 8,343

51.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.54 IQD 819

150.00%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

109.20%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

102.72%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$87.3 IQD 131.8K

91.00%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$8.86 IQD 13.4K

53.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$23.83 IQD 36.0K

22.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$50.1 IQD 75.7K

-10.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$26.55 IQD 40.1K

-35.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$7.52 IQD 11.4K

-7.31%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$106 IQD 160.6K

643.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$2,727 IQD 4.1M

231.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$10.02 IQD 15.1K

776.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$20.32 IQD 30.7K

186.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$30.27 IQD 45.7K

359.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$19.60 IQD 29.6K

404.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$157 IQD 237.0K

555.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$116 IQD 174.7K

435.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$329 IQD 496.7K

472.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$324 IQD 489.1K

211.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$445 IQD 671.8K

796.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$362 IQD 547.1K

370.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$415 IQD 627.4K

59.77%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Duhok: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Duhok

$116 19% 81.3% $504

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Duhok

$154 25.3% 48.4% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Duhok

$120 19.7% 42.7% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Duhok

$36 5.9% 79.1% $137

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Duhok

$93 15.3% 45.7% $78

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Duhok

$25 4.1% 73.9% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Duhok

$65 10.7% 10.4% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $157 in Duhok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 60% 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: $47.00 in Medellin vs $17.00 in Duhok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $154 per month, with Duhok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇶 Duhok

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

01:14 1:14 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

340,900

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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

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Between locations

Medellin Duhok 12,050 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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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 Duhok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Duhok differ by about 167% in total monthly costs ($1,625 vs $608 including rent). Duhok is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 60% 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $157 in Duhok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $106 in Duhok. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 94% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $608 in Duhok versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Duhok but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Duhok 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.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Duhok are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Duhok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 167% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.