Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Kufah and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kufah: $703 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Al Kufah
Learn more

Al Kufah Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
Learn more

Erbil Living Index

Jump to prices

Al Kufah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$703

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al Kufah and in Erbil

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $703 in Al Kufah versus $958 in Erbil.

Al Kufah $703
Erbil $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,050 in Al Kufah versus $1,427 in Erbil.

Al Kufah $1,050
Erbil $1,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,397 in Al Kufah versus $1,896 in Erbil.

Al Kufah $1,397
Erbil $1,896

Living in Al Kufah costs roughly 27% less than in Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al Kufah 48% lower, Erbil 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.74 IQD 7,162

$6.42 IQD 9,704

-26.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.90 IQD 39.1K

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

-29.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 IQD 10.0K

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

-10.53%

Cappuccino

$2.82 IQD 4,258

$3.24 IQD 4,889

-12.96%

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

$0.38 IQD 579

$0.89 IQD 1,341

-57.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.33 IQD 505

-39.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 IQD 4,844

$5.75 IQD 8,681

-44.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 IQD 4,897

$3.92 IQD 5,921

-17.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 IQD 1,451

$1.07 IQD 1,611

-10.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 IQD 1,041

$0.67 IQD 1,019

2.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,989

$1.52 IQD 2,303

-13.16%

Eggs

$1.70 IQD 2,574

$1.60 IQD 2,413

6.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.02 IQD 3,046

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

-71.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 IQD 6,032

$4.38 IQD 6,614

-8.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 IQD 11.9K

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

-38.04%

Apples (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 954

$0.94 IQD 1,415

-32.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,449

$1.01 IQD 1,528

-4.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 848

$1.02 IQD 1,544

-45.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.70 IQD 1,064

-30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.43 IQD 650

$0.65 IQD 982

-33.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.33 IQD 499

$0.63 IQD 952

-47.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.19 IQD 284

$0.64 IQD 968

-70.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 776

$0.52 IQD 781

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.53 IQD 2,319

$2.19 IQD 3,303

-30.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.59 IQD 17.5K

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

7.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 IQD 3,017

$1.45 IQD 2,191

37.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 IQD 2,972

$1.79 IQD 2,712

10.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 480

$0.49 IQD 736

-34.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 IQD 2,954

$1.67 IQD 2,519

16.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 IQD 2,031

$1.60 IQD 2,418

-16.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.52 IQD 9,849

$5.78 IQD 8,728

12.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 IQD 733

$0.57 IQD 867

-14.04%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.0M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

-1.43%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

-1.95%

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

$188 IQD 283.3K

$111 IQD 168.1K

68.56%

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

$19.15 IQD 28.9K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

56.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 IQD 29.9K

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

-19.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.05 IQD 22.7K

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

-73.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.64 IQD 14.6K

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

0.10%

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

$69.3 IQD 104.8K

$294 IQD 443.8K

-76.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,161 IQD 3.3M

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

-20.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.13 IQD 15.3K

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

-62.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.46 IQD 44.5K

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

-23.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.07 IQD 30.3K

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

-67.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.57 IQD 52.2K

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

-42.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 IQD 313.5K

$426 IQD 643.6K

-51.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$135 IQD 204.6K

$271 IQD 410.0K

-50.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$371 IQD 561.3K

$699 IQD 1.1M

-46.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 IQD 466.6K

$404 IQD 610.4K

-23.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,244 IQD 1.9M

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

22.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$495 IQD 748.2K

$615 IQD 929.8K

-19.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$902 IQD 1.4M

$519 IQD 783.7K

74.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

2.53

62.85%

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

Last update for Al Kufah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Kufah

$226 32.2%

Erbil

$148 15.5% 34.6% $78

Groceries & Markets

Al Kufah

$138 19.6%

Erbil

$174 18.1% 26.1% $36

Accommodation & Living

Al Kufah

$135 19.3%

Erbil

$271 28.3% 100% $136

Eating Out

Al Kufah

$116 16.6%

Erbil

$154 16.1% 32.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Al Kufah

$42 6%

Erbil

$84 8.8% 97.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Al Kufah

$34 4.9%

Erbil

$76 8% 122% $42

Getting Around

Al Kufah

$10 * 1.4%

Erbil

$51 5.3% 412% $41

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 $426 in Erbil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Kufah pays 74% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26 in Al Kufah vs $37 in Erbil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $138 vs $174 per month, with Al Kufah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al Kufah

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

Same time as Al Kufah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

230,000

1,713,461

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al Kufah Erbil 460 km

From you

Al Kufah
Erbil

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 Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Kufah is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 74% 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 $426 in Erbil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Erbil. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $703 per month in Al Kufah versus $958 in Erbil – Al Kufah is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.