Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Iraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Iraq: $810 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,589
/mo nomad
🇮🇶 Iraq
$810
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Medellin is 61.9% more expensive than Iraq without rent, and 96.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Medellin is 66.2% more expensive than Iraq without rent, and 91.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Iraq
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.01 COP 25.5K
$4.50 IQD 6,796
78.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.55 COP 148.3K
$24.34 IQD 36.8K
91.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.43 COP 30.1K
$7.53 IQD 11.4K
25.23%
Cappuccino
$2.91 COP 9,277
$2.79 IQD 4,219
4.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 COP 5,585
$0.46 IQD 689
280.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 COP 4,218
$0.22 IQD 330
500.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.13 COP 9,969
$3.00 IQD 4,535
4.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.55 COP 17.7K
$3.84 IQD 5,796
44.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Iraq
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 COP 4,495
$1.19 IQD 1,794
18.49%
White Bread (500g)
$2.44 COP 7,777
$0.85 IQD 1,288
187.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 COP 5,191
$1.51 IQD 2,275
7.95%
Eggs
$2.82 COP 8,990
$1.70 IQD 2,567
65.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.69 COP 30.9K
$4.77 IQD 7,208
103.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.32 COP 29.7K
$4.31 IQD 6,510
116.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.46 COP 42.9K
$12.91 IQD 19.5K
4.26%
Apples (1kg)
$4.00 COP 12.8K
$1.01 IQD 1,523
296.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 COP 4,719
$1.18 IQD 1,790
25.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 COP 6,768
$0.93 IQD 1,408
127.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.25 COP 7,178
$0.69 IQD 1,035
226.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.91 COP 6,092
$0.63 IQD 947
203.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 COP 5,160
$0.61 IQD 916
165.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,658
$0.60 IQD 907
91.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 COP 4,021
$0.55 IQD 834
129.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.82 COP 12.2K
$1.89 IQD 2,863
102.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.11 COP 41.8K
$11.83 IQD 17.9K
10.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 COP 5,083
$1.97 IQD 2,976
-18.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,188
$2.15 IQD 3,256
5.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Iraq
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,731
$0.37 IQD 559
216.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$75.0 COP 239.0K
$24.16 IQD 36.5K
210.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,056
$2.32 IQD 3,506
-45.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,531
$1.57 IQD 2,378
30.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.20 COP 26.1K
$5.91 IQD 8,925
38.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 COP 4,046
$0.63 IQD 947
101.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K COP 85.3M
$17.2K IQD 26.0M
55.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K COP 109.6M
$19.5K IQD 29.4M
76.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Iraq
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$162 COP 516.9K
$112 IQD 169.1K
44.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 COP 41.8K
$15.21 IQD 23.0K
-13.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.09 COP 89.5K
$33.31 IQD 50.3K
-15.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Iraq
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.33 COP 141.2K
$35.31 IQD 53.3K
25.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.33 COP 52.0K
$18.86 IQD 28.5K
-13.41%
Cinema Ticket
$6.09 COP 19.4K
$7.69 IQD 11.6K
-20.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Iraq
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$764 COP 2.4M
$178 IQD 269.6K
328.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,904 COP 28.4M
$2,762 IQD 4.2M
222.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Iraq
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.0 COP 270.8K
$21.50 IQD 32.5K
295.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.5 COP 183.2K
$25.96 IQD 39.2K
121.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$132 COP 419.8K
$60.0 IQD 90.7K
119.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.8 COP 305.1K
$45.63 IQD 68.9K
109.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Iraq
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 COP 3.3M
$307 IQD 463.8K
235.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$604 COP 1.9M
$212 IQD 320.0K
185.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,802 COP 5.7M
$548 IQD 827.3K
229.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$993 COP 3.2M
$406 IQD 614.0K
144.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,921 COP 12.5M
$1,646 IQD 2.5M
138.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,639 COP 5.2M
$759 IQD 1.1M
115.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Iraq
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$626 COP 2.0M
$568 IQD 857.6K
10.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
6.32
73.10%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Iraq: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$604
Iraq
$212 65% $393
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$288
Iraq
$177 38.6% $111
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$203
Iraq
$160 21.1% $43
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$166
Iraq
$69 58.6% $98
Eating Out
Medellin
$166
Iraq
$117 29.4% $49
Getting Around
Medellin
$91
Iraq
$36 60.7% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Iraq
$51 10.3% $5.8
Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇮🇶 Iraq
🕒 Local time
08:45 8:45 AM
16:45 4:45 PM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
38,274,618
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Iraq 12,320 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Iraq

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.
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