Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-'amarah and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living costs are similar in Al-’amarah and in Sulaymaniyah: $672 and $663 a month, rent and utilities included.

32

Cost of Living Index in Al-'amarah
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Al-'amarah Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Al-'amarah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$672

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $672 per month in Al-’amarah vs $663 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Al-'amarah $672
Sulaymaniyah $663

A couple spends around $1,023 per month in Al-’amarah vs $1,034 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Al-'amarah $1,023
Sulaymaniyah $1,034

A family of three spends $1,373 per month in Al-’amarah vs $1,406 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Al-'amarah $1,373
Sulaymaniyah $1,406

Al-’amarah and Sulaymaniyah have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 IQD 6,163

$4.21 IQD 6,363

-3.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.39 IQD 29.3K

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

-1.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.29 IQD 9,501

$5.90 IQD 8,916

6.61%

Cappuccino

$2.23 IQD 3,364

$2.45 IQD 3,702

-8.98%

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

$0.38 IQD 575

$0.43 IQD 650

-11.63%

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

$3.22 IQD 4,873

-6.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 IQD 3,705

$2.04 IQD 3,080

20.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,494

$1.11 IQD 1,677

-10.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,014

$0.89 IQD 1,339

-24.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 IQD 2,090

$1.66 IQD 2,516

-16.87%

Eggs

$1.59 IQD 2,409

$1.55 IQD 2,345

2.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.88 IQD 5,856

$4.31 IQD 6,509

-9.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.44 IQD 5,192

$3.66 IQD 5,536

-6.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.32 IQD 20.1K

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

0.38%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,440

$1.11 IQD 1,680

-14.41%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,474

$1.09 IQD 1,646

-10.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,368

$1.04 IQD 1,579

-12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 951

$0.56 IQD 843

12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 836

$0.49 IQD 740

12.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 950

$0.63 IQD 957

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 IQD 848

$0.58 IQD 883

-3.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 715

$0.45 IQD 685

4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.48 IQD 2,231

$2.02 IQD 3,049

-26.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

23.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 IQD 2,545

$1.66 IQD 2,509

1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 IQD 2,798

$1.25 IQD 1,896

48.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 IQD 438

$0.52 IQD 786

-44.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.92 IQD 2,904

-6.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 IQD 1,766

$1.96 IQD 2,961

-40.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 IQD 8,252

$4.48 IQD 6,774

21.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 878

$0.57 IQD 865

1.75%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

0.18%

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

$14.7K IQD 22.2M

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

-13.50%

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

$97.8 IQD 147.8K

$85.2 IQD 128.7K

14.84%

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

$14.57 IQD 22.0K

$10.12 IQD 15.3K

43.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.47 IQD 43.0K

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

18.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.45 IQD 55.1K

$33.78 IQD 51.0K

7.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 IQD 27.1K

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

$6.56 IQD 9,916

37.80%

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

$143 IQD 216.2K

$153 IQD 231.1K

-6.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,964 IQD 4.5M

$2,546 IQD 3.8M

16.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.18 IQD 35.0K

$16.75 IQD 25.3K

38.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.01 IQD 33.3K

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

-1.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.2 IQD 103.0K

$36.83 IQD 55.7K

85.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.78 IQD 49.5K

$33.01 IQD 49.9K

-0.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 IQD 308.8K

$187 IQD 282.6K

9.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 IQD 211.8K

$147 IQD 221.9K

-4.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 IQD 555.9K

$419 IQD 632.8K

-12.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 IQD 433.4K

$314 IQD 474.4K

-8.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$863 IQD 1.3M

$695 IQD 1.1M

24.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$486 IQD 733.7K

$548 IQD 828.2K

-11.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$434 IQD 655.1K

$501 IQD 757.3K

-13.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

5.77

-28.60%

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

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

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al-'amarah

$162 24.1%

Sulaymaniyah

$164 24.7% 1.2% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-'amarah

$141 21%

Sulaymaniyah

$119 18% 15.3% $22

Accommodation & Living

Al-'amarah

$140 20.9%

Sulaymaniyah

$147 22.2% 4.8% $6.7

Eating Out

Al-'amarah

$101 15%

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6% 3% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Al-'amarah

$66 9.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4% 25.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Al-'amarah

$55 8.1%

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1% 14% $7.6

Getting Around

Al-'amarah

$8.8 * 1.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5.1% 281% $25

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 $187 in Sulaymaniyah. 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 16% higher in Sulaymaniyah. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Al-’amarah versus $20 in Sulaymaniyah. 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

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

09:50 9:50 AM

Same time as Al-'amarah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

511,542

823,199

💱 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 Sulaymaniyah 440 km

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Al-'amarah
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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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,009 per month in Al-’amarah and $994 in Sulaymaniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $204 in Al-’amarah and $187 in Sulaymaniyah. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Al-’amarah and $20 in Sulaymaniyah. 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 $153 in Sulaymaniyah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $672 in Al-’amarah and $663 in Sulaymaniyah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Sulaymaniyah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $663 in Sulaymaniyah to $672 in Al-’amarah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.