Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Fallujah and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $664 a month against $826 in Al Fallujah, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Al Fallujah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Al Fallujah, Iraq
Basra, Iraq
Al Fallujah
🇮🇶 Iraq
$826
/mo nomad
Basra
🇮🇶 Iraq
$664
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al Fallujah and in Basra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $826 in Al Fallujah versus $664 in Basra.

  • Al Fallujah $826
  • Basra $664

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,210 in Al Fallujah versus $1,194 in Basra.

  • Al Fallujah $1,210
  • Basra $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,594 in Al Fallujah versus $1,725 in Basra.

  • Al Fallujah $1,594
  • Basra $1,725

Living in Al Fallujah is roughly 24% more expensive than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al Fallujah 39% lower, Basra 51% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Al Fallujah
Basra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.56 IQD 6,893
$3.88 IQD 5,859
17.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.33 IQD 39.8K
$26.91 IQD 40.7K
-2.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.75 IQD 10.2K
$6.70 IQD 10.1K
0.75%
Cappuccino
$2.82 IQD 4,264
$2.29 IQD 3,462
23.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 IQD 539
$0.38 IQD 568
-5.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.20 IQD 302
$0.30 IQD 458
-33.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.26 IQD 4,921
$3.28 IQD 4,951
-0.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 IQD 4,927
$3.67 IQD 5,541
-11.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Al Fallujah
Basra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.97 IQD 1,466
$0.99 IQD 1,502
-2.02%
White Bread (500g)
$0.71 IQD 1,077
$0.61 IQD 920
16.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.31 IQD 1,974
$1.21 IQD 1,833
8.26%
Eggs
$1.61 IQD 2,433
$1.60 IQD 2,417
0.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.44 IQD 5,192
$6.32 IQD 9,552
-45.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.02 IQD 6,079
$5.40 IQD 8,161
-25.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.45 IQD 18.8K
$12.12 IQD 18.3K
2.72%
Apples (1kg)
$1.00 IQD 1,512
$0.84 IQD 1,265
19.05%
Banana (1kg)
$0.92 IQD 1,385
$1.18 IQD 1,784
-22.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.95 IQD 1,440
$0.85 IQD 1,285
11.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.68 IQD 1,032
$0.55 IQD 834
23.64%
Potato (1kg)
$0.56 IQD 842
$0.64 IQD 960
-12.50%
Onion (1kg)
$0.61 IQD 918
$0.54 IQD 813
12.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.55 IQD 833
$0.80 IQD 1,211
-31.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 IQD 926
$0.34 IQD 512
79.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.63 IQD 2,467
$1.80 IQD 2,725
-9.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.59 IQD 17.5K
$11.21 IQD 16.9K
3.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 IQD 2,909
$1.58 IQD 2,383
22.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 IQD 2,944
$1.82 IQD 2,755
7.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Al Fallujah
Basra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 IQD 537
$0.52 IQD 789
-30.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$16.41 IQD 24.8K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.94 IQD 2,934
$1.93 IQD 2,923
0.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 IQD 1,970
$1.95 IQD 2,948
-33.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.68 IQD 10.1K
$6.34 IQD 9,576
5.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.54 IQD 823
$0.56 IQD 841
-3.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.8K IQD 25.4M
$11.4K IQD 17.3M
47.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.6K IQD 25.0M
$19.6K IQD 29.7M
-15.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Al Fallujah
Basra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$192 IQD 290.1K
$43.92 IQD 66.4K
337.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.75 IQD 29.8K
$22.28 IQD 33.7K
-11.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.06 IQD 57.5K
$33.60 IQD 50.8K
13.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Al Fallujah
Basra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.52 IQD 61.2K
$31.84 IQD 48.1K
27.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$11.99 IQD 18.1K
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.09 IQD 15.2K
$6.56 IQD 9,906
53.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Al Fallujah
Basra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$144 IQD 217.9K
$109 IQD 165.2K
31.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,196 IQD 4.8M
$3,237 IQD 4.9M
-1.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Al Fallujah
Basra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.16 IQD 38.0K
$43.57 IQD 65.8K
-42.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.28 IQD 50.3K
$17.35 IQD 26.2K
91.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$60.6 IQD 91.5K
$68.7 IQD 103.8K
-11.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.23 IQD 63.8K
$35.89 IQD 54.2K
17.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Al Fallujah
Basra
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$236 IQD 356.9K
$405 IQD 611.7K
-41.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$154 IQD 232.6K
$138 IQD 208.3K
11.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$342 IQD 517.3K
$369 IQD 558.1K
-7.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$298 IQD 450.3K
$548 IQD 828.2K
-45.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$923 IQD 1.4M
$1,403 IQD 2.1M
-34.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$555 IQD 838.8K
$707 IQD 1.1M
-21.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Al Fallujah
Basra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$667 IQD 1.0M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.12
4.12
-

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

Last update for Al Fallujah: October 27, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Al Fallujah
$250
Basra
$100 60.1% $150
Groceries & Markets
Al Fallujah
$163
Basra
$171 5% $8.1
Accommodation & Living
Al Fallujah
$154
Basra
$138 10.4% $16
Eating Out
Al Fallujah
$116
Basra
$105 9.1% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Al Fallujah
$73
Basra
$74 2.7% $1.9
Sport & Entertainment
Al Fallujah
$61
Basra
$45 25.9% $16
Getting Around
Al Fallujah
$9.9 *
Basra
$30 206% $20

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 $236 in Al Fallujah and $405 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26 in Al Fallujah vs $27 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $163 vs $171 per month, with Al Fallujah cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇶 Al Fallujah
🇮🇶 Basra
🕒 Local time
20:40 8:40 PM
20:40 8:40 PM
Same time as Al Fallujah
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
326,471
2,150,000
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Al Fallujah Basra 490 km
From you
  • Al Fallujah
  • Basra

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 Fallujah vs Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Al Fallujah or Basra?
Basra wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Al Fallujah. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Basra the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Al Fallujah and in Basra?
You’d need roughly $1,238 in Al Fallujah and $995 in Basra 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Al Fallujah compared to Basra?
Rent for a central apartment: $236 in Al Fallujah versus $405 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Al Fallujah and in Basra?
Childcare runs $144 in Al Fallujah versus $109 in Basra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Al Fallujah and in Basra?
Dining out is cheaper in Al Fallujah – a meal for two runs $26 versus $27 in Basra. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Al Fallujah or in Basra?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Basra gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Al Fallujah or Basra?
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.

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