Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sinjar

For one person, living is cheaper in Sinjar: $540 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Sinjar
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Sinjar Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sinjar

🇮🇶 Iraq

$540

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sinjar

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $540 in Sinjar, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sinjar $540

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $842 in Sinjar, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sinjar $842

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,145 in Sinjar, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sinjar $1,145

Medellin costs about 204% more than Sinjar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sinjar is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.07 IQD 6,152

98.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$7.72 IQD 11.7K

509.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

33.05%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$0.68 IQD 1,023

342.65%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.34 IQD 519

429.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.17 IQD 263

729.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$0.97 IQD 1,470

227.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$1.69 IQD 2,557

240.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$0.69 IQD 1,041

118.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.69 IQD 1,037

244.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.63 IQD 955

180.95%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.57 IQD 2,374

84.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$2.00 IQD 3,030

409.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.05 IQD 6,124

143.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.39 IQD 15.7K

34.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$0.69 IQD 1,037

475.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.67 IQD 1,017

131.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$0.63 IQD 952

246.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$0.68 IQD 1,024

220.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.65 IQD 977

201.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.59 IQD 894

169.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.66 IQD 993

74.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.32 IQD 477

287.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.63 IQD 2,458

142.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$6.44 IQD 9,726

112.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$1.01 IQD 1,522

64.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$1.63 IQD 2,466

38.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.30 IQD 456

290.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.62 IQD 2,443

-21.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.53 IQD 2,318

33.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$5.51 IQD 8,319

55.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.29 IQD 437

365.52%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

110.06%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

102.51%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$39.11 IQD 59.1K

333.78%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$12.27 IQD 18.5K

10.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$24.36 IQD 36.8K

15.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$37.27 IQD 56.3K

17.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$33.40 IQD 50.5K

-48.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

-29.20%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$292 IQD 441.8K

172.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$2,747 IQD 4.2M

231.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$10.19 IQD 15.4K

731.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$9.82 IQD 14.8K

490.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

127.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$58.8 IQD 88.8K

66.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$211 IQD 318.4K

473.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$138 IQD 208.5K

364.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$412 IQD 623.1K

391.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$281 IQD 424.3K

260.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$733 IQD 1.1M

469.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$552 IQD 834.2K

246.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$197 IQD 297.0K

234.35%

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 Sinjar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sinjar

$138 25.6% 78.5% $504

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sinjar

$124 23% 58.2% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sinjar

$76 14% 64.1% $136

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sinjar

$72 13.4% 57.3% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sinjar

$62 11.5% 63.2% $107

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sinjar

$11 * 1.9% 88.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sinjar

$57 10.5% 1.3% $0.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $211 in Sinjar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $8 in Sinjar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $124 – making Sinjar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇶 Sinjar

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

17:54 5:54 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

88,023

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Sinjar 11,980 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sinjar

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 Sinjar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 204%, 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 $810 in Sinjar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sinjar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $8 in Sinjar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 139% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sinjar, where all-in costs run around $540, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Sinjar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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