Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Hillah and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $664 a month against $693 in Al Hillah, rent and utilities included – about $350 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Al Hillah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

34

Cost of Living Index in Al Hillah
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Al Hillah Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index

Jump to prices

Al Hillah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$693

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al Hillah 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 Hillah and in Basra actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $693 per month in Al Hillah vs $664 in Basra, rent included.

Al Hillah $693
Basra $664

A couple spends around $1,067 per month in Al Hillah vs $1,194 in Basra, rent included.

Al Hillah $1,067
Basra $1,194

A family of three spends $1,442 per month in Al Hillah vs $1,725 in Basra, rent included.

Al Hillah $1,442
Basra $1,725

Al Hillah costs about 4% more than Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Al Hillah and Basra are more affordable than the global median – Al Hillah 49% lower, Basra 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 IQD 7,083

$3.88 IQD 5,859

20.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.52 IQD 40.1K

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

-1.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.51 IQD 8,326

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

-17.76%

Cappuccino

$2.69 IQD 4,068

$2.29 IQD 3,462

17.47%

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

$0.34 IQD 519

$0.38 IQD 568

-10.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 309

$0.30 IQD 458

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 IQD 4,121

$3.28 IQD 4,951

-16.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 IQD 5,063

$3.67 IQD 5,541

-8.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,463

$0.99 IQD 1,502

-2.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 IQD 963

$0.61 IQD 920

4.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 IQD 2,080

$1.21 IQD 1,833

14.05%

Eggs

$1.54 IQD 2,330

$1.60 IQD 2,417

-3.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.36 IQD 5,083

$6.32 IQD 9,552

-46.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.01 IQD 6,065

$5.40 IQD 8,161

-25.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.29 IQD 18.6K

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

1.40%

Apples (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,450

$0.84 IQD 1,265

14.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,443

$1.18 IQD 1,784

-19.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,367

$0.85 IQD 1,285

5.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,032

$0.55 IQD 834

23.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 883

$0.64 IQD 960

-9.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 912

$0.54 IQD 813

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 IQD 786

$0.80 IQD 1,211

-35.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 780

$0.34 IQD 512

52.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.66 IQD 2,515

$1.80 IQD 2,725

-7.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.71 IQD 17.7K

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

4.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 IQD 2,876

$1.58 IQD 2,383

20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,966

$1.82 IQD 2,755

7.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 518

$0.52 IQD 789

-34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.0 IQD 83.1K

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

235.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 IQD 2,968

$1.93 IQD 2,923

1.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 IQD 1,939

$1.95 IQD 2,948

-34.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 IQD 4,506

$6.34 IQD 9,576

-53.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 IQD 757

$0.56 IQD 841

-10.71%

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

$14.8K IQD 22.4M

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

29.81%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

-15.48%

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

$65.1 IQD 98.3K

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

48.16%

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

$13.34 IQD 20.2K

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

-40.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.35 IQD 50.4K

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

-0.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.62 IQD 29.7K

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

-38.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.36 IQD 24.7K

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

36.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.44 IQD 9,724

$6.56 IQD 9,906

-1.83%

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

$81.2 IQD 122.6K

$109 IQD 165.2K

-25.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$664 IQD 1.0M

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

-79.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.98 IQD 28.7K

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

-56.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.34 IQD 32.2K

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

23.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 IQD 87.4K

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

-15.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.36 IQD 64.0K

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

18.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$245 IQD 369.5K

$405 IQD 611.7K

-39.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 IQD 228.6K

$138 IQD 208.3K

9.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 IQD 659.1K

$369 IQD 558.1K

18.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 IQD 389.8K

$548 IQD 828.2K

-52.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,477 IQD 2.2M

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

5.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$483 IQD 729.4K

$707 IQD 1.1M

-31.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$436 IQD 659.3K

$667 IQD 1.0M

-34.55%

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 Hillah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al Hillah

$160 23.2%

Basra

$171 25.8% 6.7% $11

Accommodation & Living

Al Hillah

$151 21.8%

Basra

$138 20.8% 8.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Hillah

$112 16.1%

Basra

$100 15% 10.7% $12

Eating Out

Al Hillah

$109 15.7%

Basra

$105 15.8% 3.5% $3.8

Getting Around

Al Hillah

$65 9.4%

Basra

$30 4.6% 53.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Al Hillah

$63 9.1%

Basra

$74 11.2% 17.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Al Hillah

$32 4.7%

Basra

$45 6.8% 38.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $245 in Al Hillah versus $405 in Basra. 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 53% higher in Basra, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Al Hillah versus $27 in Basra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $160 vs $171 – making Al Hillah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al Hillah

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

Same time as Al Hillah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,729,666

2,150,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Al Hillah Basra 390 km

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Al Hillah
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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 Hillah vs Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Al Hillah is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,039 per month in Al Hillah and $995 in Basra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Hillah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $245 there versus $405 in Basra.

Public transport costs about 70% less in Basra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Al Hillah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $693 in Al Hillah and $664 in Basra, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.