Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zakho and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakho: $725 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Zakho
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Zakho Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Zakho

🇮🇶 Iraq

$725

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zakho and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Zakho and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $725 per month in Zakho vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Zakho $725
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,158 per month in Zakho vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Zakho $1,158
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,591 per month in Zakho vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Zakho $1,591
Medellin $3,186

Zakho is about 56% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zakho sits 47% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.18 IQD 6,310

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-48.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.97 IQD 55.9K

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-21.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-24.84%

Cappuccino

$3.21 IQD 4,856

$3.01 COP 9,722

6.64%

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

$0.83 IQD 1,256

$1.80 COP 5,801

-53.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 506

$1.41 COP 4,554

-76.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 IQD 8,535

$3.18 COP 10.2K

77.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 IQD 5,960

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-31.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 IQD 1,669

$1.51 COP 4,869

-27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,023

$2.38 COP 7,667

-71.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 IQD 2,271

$1.77 COP 5,712

-15.25%

Eggs

$1.58 IQD 2,382

$2.89 COP 9,320

-45.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.88 IQD 10.4K

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-32.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.26 IQD 6,440

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-56.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 IQD 19.2K

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-9.29%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,484

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-75.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,414

$1.55 COP 5,005

-39.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,536

$2.18 COP 7,039

-53.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 986

$2.18 COP 7,041

-70.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 920

$1.96 COP 6,328

-68.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 895

$1.59 COP 5,125

-62.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 IQD 926

$1.15 COP 3,694

-46.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 775

$1.24 COP 4,009

-58.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 IQD 3,300

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-44.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

$13.68 COP 44.1K

-21.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,213

$1.66 COP 5,352

-12.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 IQD 2,737

$2.26 COP 7,281

-19.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 IQD 439

$1.17 COP 3,766

-75.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,546

$1.27 COP 4,089

32.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 IQD 2,440

$2.05 COP 6,603

-21.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 IQD 8,531

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-33.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 IQD 886

$1.35 COP 4,343

-56.30%

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

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-51.67%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.8M

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-50.73%

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

$115 IQD 173.5K

$170 COP 547.0K

-32.32%

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

$12.27 IQD 18.5K

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-9.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.28 IQD 36.7K

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-13.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.56 IQD 59.8K

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-9.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

$6.91 COP 22.3K

41.10%

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

$298 IQD 450.7K

$797 COP 2.6M

-62.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,742 IQD 4.1M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-69.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.56 IQD 40.1K

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-68.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.78 IQD 29.9K

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-65.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.59 IQD 74.9K

$135 COP 435.2K

-63.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.81 IQD 60.1K

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-59.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$207 IQD 313.3K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-82.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$136 IQD 205.0K

$642 COP 2.1M

-78.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 IQD 558.5K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-81.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 IQD 482.7K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-68.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$888 IQD 1.3M

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-78.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$551 IQD 833.0K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-71.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$660 IQD 997.8K

$657 COP 2.1M

0.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

10.94

-76.87%

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

Last update for Zakho: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zakho

$172 23.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 72.5% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zakho

$151 20.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 39.6% $60

Accommodation & Living

Zakho

$136 18.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 373% $506

Eating Out

Zakho

$134 18.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 26.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Zakho

$61 8.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 177% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Zakho

$59 8.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 2.6% $1.5

Getting Around

Zakho

$11 * 1.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 757% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $207 in Zakho versus $1,208 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Zakho versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $297 – making Zakho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Zakho

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:21 11:21 PM

15:21 3:21 PM

8 h behind Zakho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

197,163

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zakho Medellin 12,010 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Zakho
Medellin

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

Zakho vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 126%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,087 per month in Zakho and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zakho, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $207 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

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

Groceries cost about 72% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zakho, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Zakho it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zakho – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.