Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Koysinjaq

For one person, living is cheaper in Koysinjaq: $751 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Koysinjaq
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Koysinjaq Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Koysinjaq

🇮🇶 Iraq

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Koysinjaq

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $751 in Koysinjaq.

Medellin $1,639
Koysinjaq $751

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,175 in Koysinjaq.

Medellin $2,413
Koysinjaq $1,175

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,598 in Koysinjaq.

Medellin $3,186
Koysinjaq $1,598

Living in Medellin is roughly 118% more expensive than in Koysinjaq, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Koysinjaq is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.02 IQD 6,075

101.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

27.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.24 IQD 10.9K

31.22%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.21 IQD 4,855

-6.23%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.83 IQD 1,247

116.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.33 IQD 505

327.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$5.74 IQD 8,671

-44.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.90 IQD 5,899

47.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.09 IQD 1,649

38.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$0.71 IQD 1,078

235.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.53 IQD 2,308

15.69%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.52 IQD 2,297

90.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.01 IQD 10.6K

45.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.24 IQD 6,409

132.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$12.56 IQD 19.0K

11.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.99 IQD 1,493

301.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$0.97 IQD 1,464

59.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.02 IQD 1,547

113.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$0.70 IQD 1,063

211.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$0.60 IQD 910

226.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$0.59 IQD 897

169.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$0.65 IQD 983

76.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.51 IQD 775

143.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.20 IQD 3,331

80.00%

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

$1.40 IQD 2,119

18.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$1.88 IQD 2,838

20.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.36 IQD 538

225.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.63 IQD 2,467

-22.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.56 IQD 2,355

31.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$5.76 IQD 8,702

48.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$0.58 IQD 876

132.76%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$16.3K IQD 24.6M

109.02%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$17.2K IQD 26.0M

101.27%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$111 IQD 168.4K

52.22%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$12.19 IQD 18.4K

11.16%

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

$32.08 IQD 48.5K

36.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.03 IQD 15.2K

-31.11%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$294 IQD 444.3K

170.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,751 IQD 4.2M

231.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$27.10 IQD 41.0K

212.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$39.46 IQD 59.6K

46.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$59.9 IQD 90.4K

125.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$58.3 IQD 88.2K

67.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$224 IQD 339.0K

438.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$151 IQD 227.8K

325.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$391 IQD 590.9K

418.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$296 IQD 447.9K

241.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$980 IQD 1.5M

325.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$551 IQD 831.9K

246.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

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 Koysinjaq: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Koysinjaq

$151 20.1% 76.5% $491

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Koysinjaq

$173 23% 41.8% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Koysinjaq

$148 19.7% 29.8% $63

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Koysinjaq

$134 17.8% 21.2% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Koysinjaq

$83 11.1% 50.8% $86

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Koysinjaq

$11 * 1.4% 88.4% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Koysinjaq

$52 6.9% 9.4% $5.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $224 in Koysinjaq. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $37 in Koysinjaq for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $173 per month, with Koysinjaq cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇶 Koysinjaq

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

16:21 4:21 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

44,987

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Koysinjaq 12,220 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Koysinjaq

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 Koysinjaq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koysinjaq wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Koysinjaq the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,127 in Koysinjaq to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $224 in Koysinjaq. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $751 in Koysinjaq – Koysinjaq is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.