Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mashhad, Iraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $756 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mashhad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $756 in Mashhad.

Medellin $1,692
Mashhad $756

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,119 in Mashhad.

Medellin $2,471
Mashhad $1,119

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,481 in Mashhad.

Medellin $3,249
Mashhad $1,481

Living in Medellin is roughly 124% more expensive than in Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Mashhad is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$4.49 IQD 6,781

85.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

74.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

40.71%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.71 IQD 4,100

15.50%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$0.36 IQD 542

391.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$0.20 IQD 302

610.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.37 IQD 5,090

-6.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$3.39 IQD 5,126

68.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$0.91 IQD 1,368

68.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$0.73 IQD 1,106

213.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$1.32 IQD 1,997

46.97%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$0.82 IQD 1,242

274.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$3.41 IQD 5,157

192.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$1.98 IQD 2,985

427.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$2.95 IQD 4,463

373.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.03 IQD 1,556

293.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$0.91 IQD 1,377

68.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$0.87 IQD 1,321

141.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$0.64 IQD 971

257.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$0.59 IQD 898

257.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$0.56 IQD 840

205.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$0.31 IQD 474

277.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$0.21 IQD 321

652.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$0.77 IQD 1,168

407.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

18.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$1.92 IQD 2,898

-8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$1.87 IQD 2,832

44.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$0.34 IQD 520

247.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$1.96 IQD 2,965

-7.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$1.31 IQD 1,972

62.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$6.42 IQD 9,699

26.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$0.54 IQD 810

137.04%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

105.08%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

106.56%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$191 IQD 288.5K

-6.92%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

-28.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

-20.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

14.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

-22.91%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$143 IQD 215.6K

453.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

285.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

237.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

74.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

135.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

132.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$212 IQD 319.9K

533.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$139 IQD 210.6K

378.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$378 IQD 571.7K

422.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$319 IQD 482.6K

223.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$862 IQD 1.3M

375.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$491 IQD 742.5K

294.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.12

165.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Mashhad

$139 18.4% 79.1% $528

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Mashhad

$115 15.2% 62.6% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Mashhad

$249 32.9% 12% $27

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Mashhad

$115 15.1% 33.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Mashhad

$72 9.6% 58% $100

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3% 89.4% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Mashhad

$56 7.4% 1.3% $0.7

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 $1,341 in Medellin and $212 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $27 in Mashhad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $115 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

07:47 7:47 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

13,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,690 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Mashhad 12,060 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mashhad

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $756 in Mashhad, so Mashhad is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,134 in Mashhad 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $212 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $143 in Mashhad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mashhad – a meal for two runs $27 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $756 in Mashhad versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad 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.