Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $958 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Erbil

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $958 in Erbil, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Erbil $958

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,427 in Erbil, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Erbil $1,427

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,896 in Erbil, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Erbil $1,896

Medellin costs about 71% more than Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Erbil is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.42 IQD 9,704

26.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

28.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

28.21%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.24 IQD 4,889

-7.10%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.89 IQD 1,341

102.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.33 IQD 505

327.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.75 IQD 8,681

-44.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.92 IQD 5,921

46.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.07 IQD 1,611

41.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.67 IQD 1,019

255.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.52 IQD 2,303

16.45%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.60 IQD 2,413

80.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

45.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.38 IQD 6,614

125.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

10.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.94 IQD 1,415

322.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.01 IQD 1,528

53.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.02 IQD 1,544

113.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.70 IQD 1,064

211.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.65 IQD 982

201.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.63 IQD 952

152.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.64 IQD 968

79.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.52 IQD 781

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.19 IQD 3,303

80.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

26.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.45 IQD 2,191

14.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.79 IQD 2,712

26.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.49 IQD 736

138.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

96.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.67 IQD 2,519

-23.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.60 IQD 2,418

28.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$5.78 IQD 8,728

47.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.57 IQD 867

136.84%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

102.83%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

102.38%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$111 IQD 168.1K

52.51%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

10.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

14.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

-23.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

27.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

-28.25%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$294 IQD 443.8K

171.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

234.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

217.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

50.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

120.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

63.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$426 IQD 643.6K

183.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$271 IQD 410.0K

136.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$699 IQD 1.1M

190.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$404 IQD 610.4K

150.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

310.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$615 IQD 929.8K

210.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$519 IQD 783.7K

26.70%

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 Erbil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Erbil

$271 28.3% 57.7% $370

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Erbil

$174 18.1% 41.5% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Erbil

$148 15.5% 29.9% $63

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Erbil

$154 16.1% 9.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Erbil

$84 8.8% 50.4% $85

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Erbil

$51 5.3% 45.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Erbil

$76 8% 32.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $426 in Erbil. 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 27% 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 $47 in Medellin versus $37 in Erbil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $174 – making Erbil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

11:03 11:03 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,713,461

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,686 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Erbil 12,160 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Erbil

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 Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,437 in Erbil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erbil, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 71% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $37 in Erbil. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Erbil – 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 Erbil. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.