Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Kut and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kut: $657 a month against $1,032 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Al Kut
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Al Kut Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index

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Al Kut

🇮🇶 Iraq

$657

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,032

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al Kut and in Baghdad

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

A single person spends $657 per month in Al Kut vs $1,032 in Baghdad, rent included.

Al Kut $657
Baghdad $1,032

A couple spends around $1,024 per month in Al Kut vs $1,490 in Baghdad, rent included.

Al Kut $1,024
Baghdad $1,490

A family of three spends $1,391 per month in Al Kut vs $1,949 in Baghdad, rent included.

Al Kut $1,391
Baghdad $1,949

Al Kut is about 36% cheaper than Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Al Kut and Baghdad are more affordable than the global median – Al Kut 51% lower, Baghdad 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.25 IQD 6,426

$4.34 IQD 6,556

-2.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.06 IQD 31.8K

$26.47 IQD 40.0K

-20.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.29 IQD 9,511

$6.40 IQD 9,677

-1.72%

Cappuccino

$2.48 IQD 3,748

$2.67 IQD 4,034

-7.12%

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

$0.35 IQD 534

$0.39 IQD 587

-10.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 IQD 5,072

$3.21 IQD 4,857

4.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 IQD 3,934

$3.27 IQD 4,937

-20.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,499

$0.91 IQD 1,378

8.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,108

$0.67 IQD 1,006

8.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 IQD 2,234

$1.37 IQD 2,077

8.03%

Eggs

$1.54 IQD 2,321

$1.69 IQD 2,557

-8.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.76 IQD 5,679

$3.37 IQD 5,091

11.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 IQD 5,256

$3.90 IQD 5,900

-10.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

$12.44 IQD 18.8K

-6.43%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 IQD 1,311

$1.03 IQD 1,557

-15.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 IQD 1,582

$0.90 IQD 1,356

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 IQD 1,292

$0.94 IQD 1,418

-8.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.64 IQD 963

4.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 820

$0.60 IQD 904

-10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 927

$0.57 IQD 861

7.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 873

$0.58 IQD 883

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 775

$0.62 IQD 935

-17.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.70 IQD 2,563

$1.54 IQD 2,331

10.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.12 IQD 16.8K

$11.95 IQD 18.1K

-6.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 IQD 2,382

$1.90 IQD 2,874

-16.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 IQD 2,837

$1.87 IQD 2,833

0.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 481

$0.34 IQD 518

-5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.50 IQD 29.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 IQD 2,823

$2.02 IQD 3,059

-7.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 IQD 2,019

$1.31 IQD 1,976

2.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 IQD 8,382

$6.76 IQD 10.2K

-17.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 871

$0.58 IQD 870

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$16.4K IQD 24.7M

2.55%

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

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

$16.4K IQD 24.7M

0.46%

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

$85.1 IQD 128.6K

$191 IQD 288.4K

-55.41%

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

$13.61 IQD 20.6K

$20.02 IQD 30.3K

-32.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.70 IQD 43.4K

$38.64 IQD 58.4K

-25.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

$39.72 IQD 60.0K

-7.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 IQD 27.8K

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 IQD 13.8K

$9.98 IQD 15.1K

-8.72%

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

$146 IQD 220.6K

$145 IQD 218.4K

0.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,793 IQD 4.2M

$5,369 IQD 8.1M

-47.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.30 IQD 32.2K

$24.76 IQD 37.4K

-13.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.72 IQD 34.3K

$33.12 IQD 50.0K

-31.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 IQD 91.5K

$59.3 IQD 89.6K

2.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.16 IQD 56.1K

$42.11 IQD 63.6K

-11.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$211 IQD 318.6K

$530 IQD 800.5K

-60.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 209.0K

$348 IQD 526.3K

-60.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 IQD 556.5K

$992 IQD 1.5M

-62.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 IQD 476.3K

$611 IQD 923.3K

-48.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$849 IQD 1.3M

$4,348 IQD 6.6M

-80.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$488 IQD 737.0K

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

-65.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$517 IQD 780.9K

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 Kut: November 1, 2026

Last update for Baghdad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al Kut

$156 23.7%

Baghdad

$162 15.7% 4.4% $6.8

Accommodation & Living

Al Kut

$138 21.1%

Baghdad

$348 33.8% 152% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Kut

$127 19.4%

Baghdad

$250 24.2% 95.8% $122

Eating Out

Al Kut

$107 16.3%

Baghdad

$111 10.8% 3.8% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Al Kut

$64 9.7%

Baghdad

$72 7% 12.4% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Al Kut

$55 8.4%

Baghdad

$60 5.8% 8.2% $4.5

Getting Around

Al Kut

$9.8 * 1.5%

Baghdad

$29 2.9% 200% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $211 in Al Kut versus $530 in Baghdad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Al Kut versus $26 in Baghdad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $156 vs $162 – making Al Kut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al Kut

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

Same time as Al Kut

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,793

7,216,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Al Kut Baghdad 160 km

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Al Kut
Baghdad

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 Kut vs Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $657 in Al Kut, $1,032 in Baghdad – Al Kut comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $985 per month in Al Kut and $1,548 in Baghdad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Kut, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $530 in Baghdad.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $657 in Al Kut and $1,032 in Baghdad. That makes Al Kut about 36% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $146 per month in Al Kut and $145 in Baghdad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $657 in Al Kut and $1,032 in Baghdad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Baghdad has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $657 in Al Kut to $1,032 in Baghdad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.