Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-'amarah and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-’amarah: $672 a month against $1,048 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Al-'amarah
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Al-'amarah Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index

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Al-'amarah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$672

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al-'amarah and in Baghdad

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

A single person spends $672 per month in Al-’amarah vs $1,048 in Baghdad, rent included.

Al-'amarah $672
Baghdad $1,048

A couple spends around $1,023 per month in Al-’amarah vs $1,508 in Baghdad, rent included.

Al-'amarah $1,023
Baghdad $1,508

A family of three spends $1,373 per month in Al-’amarah vs $1,968 in Baghdad, rent included.

Al-'amarah $1,373
Baghdad $1,968

Al-’amarah is about 36% cheaper than Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Al-’amarah and Baghdad are more affordable than the global median – Al-’amarah 51% lower, Baghdad 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 IQD 6,163

$4.54 IQD 6,866

-10.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.39 IQD 29.3K

$26.64 IQD 40.3K

-27.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.29 IQD 9,501

$6.47 IQD 9,781

-2.78%

Cappuccino

$2.23 IQD 3,364

$2.68 IQD 4,054

-16.79%

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

$0.38 IQD 575

$0.39 IQD 584

-2.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 IQD 311

$0.20 IQD 302

5.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 IQD 4,555

$3.31 IQD 5,009

-9.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 IQD 3,705

$3.22 IQD 4,866

-23.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,494

$0.92 IQD 1,390

7.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,014

$0.71 IQD 1,078

-5.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 IQD 2,090

$1.32 IQD 1,999

4.55%

Eggs

$1.59 IQD 2,409

$1.71 IQD 2,577

-7.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.88 IQD 5,856

$3.30 IQD 4,989

17.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.44 IQD 5,192

$4.15 IQD 6,269

-17.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.32 IQD 20.1K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

8.82%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,440

$1.00 IQD 1,513

-5.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,474

$0.98 IQD 1,487

Oranges (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,368

$0.95 IQD 1,440

-4.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 951

$0.68 IQD 1,021

-7.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 836

$0.58 IQD 877

-5.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 950

$0.57 IQD 854

10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 IQD 848

$0.60 IQD 903

-6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 715

$0.61 IQD 927

-22.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.48 IQD 2,231

$1.67 IQD 2,531

-11.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

3.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 IQD 2,545

$1.99 IQD 3,005

-15.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 IQD 2,798

$1.96 IQD 2,962

-5.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 IQD 438

$0.32 IQD 480

-9.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.04 IQD 30.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$2.02 IQD 3,045

-11.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 IQD 1,766

$1.30 IQD 1,964

-10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 IQD 8,252

$6.67 IQD 10.1K

-18.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 878

$0.58 IQD 870

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

6.49%

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

$14.7K IQD 22.2M

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

-12.18%

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

$97.8 IQD 147.8K

$188 IQD 284.5K

-48.06%

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

$14.57 IQD 22.0K

$19.25 IQD 29.1K

-24.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.47 IQD 43.0K

$37.51 IQD 56.7K

-24.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.45 IQD 55.1K

$39.97 IQD 60.4K

-8.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 IQD 27.8K

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

$9.70 IQD 14.7K

-6.80%

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

$143 IQD 216.2K

$145 IQD 219.6K

-1.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,964 IQD 4.5M

$3,297 IQD 5.0M

-10.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.18 IQD 35.0K

$25.60 IQD 38.7K

-9.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.01 IQD 33.3K

$33.32 IQD 50.3K

-33.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.2 IQD 103.0K

$60.2 IQD 90.9K

13.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.78 IQD 49.5K

$41.85 IQD 63.2K

-21.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 IQD 308.8K

$537 IQD 811.6K

-61.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 IQD 211.8K

$364 IQD 550.5K

-61.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 IQD 555.9K

$963 IQD 1.5M

-61.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 IQD 433.4K

$624 IQD 943.1K

-54.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$863 IQD 1.3M

$4,276 IQD 6.5M

-79.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$486 IQD 733.7K

$1,379 IQD 2.1M

-64.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$434 IQD 655.1K

$518 IQD 782.8K

-16.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

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

Last update for Al-'amarah: October 27, 2026

Last update for Baghdad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al-'amarah

$162 24.1%

Baghdad

$164 15.6% 1.2% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-'amarah

$141 21%

Baghdad

$245 23.4% 74% $104

Accommodation & Living

Al-'amarah

$140 20.9%

Baghdad

$364 34.8% 160% $224

Eating Out

Al-'amarah

$101 15%

Baghdad

$113 10.8% 12.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Al-'amarah

$66 9.8%

Baghdad

$72 6.9% 10.1% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Al-'amarah

$55 8.1%

Baghdad

$59 5.7% 8.9% $4.9

Getting Around

Al-'amarah

$8.8 * 1.3%

Baghdad

$30 2.9% 239% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $204 in Al-’amarah versus $537 in Baghdad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 20% higher in Baghdad, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Al-’amarah versus $27 in Baghdad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $162 vs $164 – making Al-’amarah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-'amarah

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

01:17 1:17 AM

Same time as Al-'amarah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

511,542

7,216,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Al-'amarah Baghdad 310 km

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Al-'amarah
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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

Al-'amarah vs Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Baghdad is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,009 per month in Al-’amarah and $1,572 in Baghdad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-’amarah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $537 in Baghdad.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Al-’amarah and $27 in Baghdad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $143 per month in Al-’amarah and $145 in Baghdad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-’amarah, where all-in costs run around $672, than in Baghdad at $1,048. In Al-’amarah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Baghdad it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Baghdad has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $672 in Al-’amarah to $1,048 in Baghdad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Al-’amarah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Baghdad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.