Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Kufah and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $664 a month against $703 in Al Kufah, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Al Kufah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

34

Cost of Living Index in Al Kufah
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Al Kufah Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index

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Al Kufah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$703

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $703 in Al Kufah versus $664 in Basra.

Al Kufah $703
Basra $664

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,050 in Al Kufah versus $1,194 in Basra.

Al Kufah $1,050
Basra $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,397 in Al Kufah versus $1,725 in Basra.

Al Kufah $1,397
Basra $1,725

Living in Al Kufah is roughly 6% more expensive than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al Kufah 48% lower, Basra 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.74 IQD 7,162

$3.88 IQD 5,859

22.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.90 IQD 39.1K

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

-3.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 IQD 10.0K

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

-1.04%

Cappuccino

$2.82 IQD 4,258

$2.29 IQD 3,462

23.14%

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

$0.38 IQD 579

$0.38 IQD 568

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.30 IQD 458

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 IQD 4,844

$3.28 IQD 4,951

-2.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 IQD 4,897

$3.67 IQD 5,541

-11.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 IQD 1,451

$0.99 IQD 1,502

-3.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 IQD 1,041

$0.61 IQD 920

13.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,989

$1.21 IQD 1,833

9.09%

Eggs

$1.70 IQD 2,574

$1.60 IQD 2,417

6.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.02 IQD 3,046

$6.32 IQD 9,552

-68.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 IQD 6,032

$5.40 IQD 8,161

-26.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 IQD 11.9K

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

-35.23%

Apples (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 954

$0.84 IQD 1,265

-25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,449

$1.18 IQD 1,784

-18.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 848

$0.85 IQD 1,285

-34.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.55 IQD 834

-10.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.43 IQD 650

$0.64 IQD 960

-32.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.33 IQD 499

$0.54 IQD 813

-38.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.19 IQD 284

$0.80 IQD 1,211

-76.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 776

$0.34 IQD 512

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.53 IQD 2,319

$1.80 IQD 2,725

-15.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.59 IQD 17.5K

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

3.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 IQD 3,017

$1.58 IQD 2,383

26.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 IQD 2,972

$1.82 IQD 2,755

8.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 480

$0.52 IQD 789

-38.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 IQD 2,954

$1.93 IQD 2,923

1.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 IQD 2,031

$1.95 IQD 2,948

-31.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.52 IQD 9,849

$6.34 IQD 9,576

2.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 IQD 733

$0.56 IQD 841

-12.50%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.0M

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

44.83%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

-14.47%

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

$188 IQD 283.3K

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

326.94%

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

$19.15 IQD 28.9K

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

-14.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 IQD 29.9K

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

-41.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.05 IQD 22.7K

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

-52.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$9.64 IQD 14.6K

$6.56 IQD 9,906

46.95%

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

$69.3 IQD 104.8K

$109 IQD 165.2K

-36.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,161 IQD 3.3M

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

-33.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.13 IQD 15.3K

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

-76.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.46 IQD 44.5K

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

69.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.07 IQD 30.3K

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

-70.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.57 IQD 52.2K

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

-3.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 IQD 313.5K

$405 IQD 611.7K

-48.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$135 IQD 204.6K

$138 IQD 208.3K

-1.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$371 IQD 561.3K

$369 IQD 558.1K

0.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 IQD 466.6K

$548 IQD 828.2K

-43.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,244 IQD 1.9M

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

-11.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$495 IQD 748.2K

$707 IQD 1.1M

-29.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$902 IQD 1.4M

$667 IQD 1.0M

35.37%

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 Kufah: October 25, 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 Kufah

$226 32.2%

Basra

$100 15% 55.9% $127

Groceries & Markets

Al Kufah

$138 19.6%

Basra

$171 25.8% 24.4% $34

Accommodation & Living

Al Kufah

$135 19.3%

Basra

$138 20.8% 1.8% $2.5

Eating Out

Al Kufah

$116 16.6%

Basra

$105 15.8% 9.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Al Kufah

$42 6%

Basra

$74 11.2% 75.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Al Kufah

$34 4.9%

Basra

$45 6.8% 31% $11

Getting Around

Al Kufah

$10 * 1.4%

Basra

$30 4.6% 203% $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 $208 in Al Kufah and $405 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Kufah pays 35% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $26 in Al Kufah vs $27 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $138 vs $171 per month, with Al Kufah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al Kufah

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

Same time as Al Kufah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

230,000

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 Kufah Basra 370 km

From you

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

Basra is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Al Kufah, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $208 in Al Kufah versus $405 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Al Kufah pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $703 per month in Al Kufah versus $664 in Basra – Basra is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Basra wins on affordability, Al Kufah on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.