Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Kut and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living costs are similar in Al Kut and in Sulaymaniyah: $657 and $667 a month, rent and utilities included.

31

Cost of Living Index in Al Kut
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Al Kut Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Al Kut

🇮🇶 Iraq

$657

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $657 per month in Al Kut vs $667 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Al Kut $657
Sulaymaniyah $667

A couple spends around $1,024 per month in Al Kut vs $1,035 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Al Kut $1,024
Sulaymaniyah $1,035

A family of three spends $1,391 per month in Al Kut vs $1,403 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Al Kut $1,391
Sulaymaniyah $1,403

Al Kut and Sulaymaniyah have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.25 IQD 6,426

$4.35 IQD 6,570

-2.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.06 IQD 31.8K

$20.15 IQD 30.5K

4.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.29 IQD 9,511

$5.91 IQD 8,935

6.43%

Cappuccino

$2.48 IQD 3,748

$2.37 IQD 3,580

4.64%

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

$0.35 IQD 534

$0.43 IQD 644

-18.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$0.20 IQD 302

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 IQD 5,072

$3.24 IQD 4,890

3.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 IQD 3,934

$2.03 IQD 3,071

28.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,499

$1.15 IQD 1,732

-13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,108

$0.86 IQD 1,306

-15.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 IQD 2,234

$1.68 IQD 2,534

-11.90%

Eggs

$1.54 IQD 2,321

$1.53 IQD 2,306

0.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.76 IQD 5,679

$4.31 IQD 6,514

-12.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 IQD 5,256

$3.72 IQD 5,627

-6.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

$12.96 IQD 19.6K

-10.19%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 IQD 1,311

$1.11 IQD 1,684

-21.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 IQD 1,582

$1.08 IQD 1,631

-2.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 IQD 1,292

$0.99 IQD 1,496

-13.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.55 IQD 833

21.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 820

$0.45 IQD 683

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 927

$0.62 IQD 940

-1.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 873

$0.58 IQD 881

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 775

$0.42 IQD 634

21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.70 IQD 2,563

$1.96 IQD 2,956

-13.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.12 IQD 16.8K

$10.04 IQD 15.2K

10.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 IQD 2,382

$1.68 IQD 2,532

-5.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 IQD 2,837

$1.23 IQD 1,855

52.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 481

$0.47 IQD 705

-31.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 IQD 30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 IQD 2,823

$2.00 IQD 3,017

-6.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 IQD 2,019

$1.95 IQD 2,951

-31.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 IQD 8,382

$4.74 IQD 7,164

17.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 871

$0.57 IQD 864

1.75%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$17.6K IQD 26.7M

-4.80%

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

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

-1.38%

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

$85.1 IQD 128.6K

$86.4 IQD 130.6K

-1.54%

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

$13.61 IQD 20.6K

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

39.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.70 IQD 43.4K

$23.74 IQD 35.9K

20.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

$34.60 IQD 52.3K

6.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 IQD 26.9K

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 IQD 13.8K

$6.43 IQD 9,711

41.68%

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

$146 IQD 220.6K

$150 IQD 226.9K

-2.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,793 IQD 4.2M

$2,562 IQD 3.9M

9.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.30 IQD 32.2K

$16.49 IQD 24.9K

29.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.72 IQD 34.3K

$22.41 IQD 33.9K

1.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 IQD 91.5K

$36.43 IQD 55.0K

66.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.16 IQD 56.1K

$36.62 IQD 55.3K

1.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$211 IQD 318.6K

$187 IQD 282.3K

12.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 209.0K

$150 IQD 225.9K

-7.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 IQD 556.5K

$412 IQD 621.8K

-10.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 IQD 476.3K

$308 IQD 464.7K

2.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$849 IQD 1.3M

$703 IQD 1.1M

20.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$488 IQD 737.0K

$541 IQD 817.5K

-9.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 IQD 758.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

5.77

-28.60%

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

Last update for Al Kut: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al Kut

$156 23.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$163 24.4% 4.8% $7.5

Accommodation & Living

Al Kut

$138 21.1%

Sulaymaniyah

$150 22.4% 8.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Kut

$127 19.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$120 18% 5.9% $7.5

Eating Out

Al Kut

$107 16.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.5% 3% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Al Kut

$64 9.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$50 7.6% 21% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Al Kut

$55 8.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1% 14% $7.7

Getting Around

Al Kut

$9.8 * 1.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$33 5% 241% $24

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 $187 in Sulaymaniyah. 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 $20 in Sulaymaniyah. Groceries tell a different story – $156 in Al Kut vs $163 in Sulaymaniyah – so Al Kut wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al Kut

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

Same time as Al Kut

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,793

823,199

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Al Kut Sulaymaniyah 340 km

From you

Al Kut
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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 Kut vs Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $985 per month in Al Kut and $1,001 in Sulaymaniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sulaymaniyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $187 there versus $211 in Al Kut.

Kindergarten costs $146 per month in Al Kut and $150 in Sulaymaniyah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Sulaymaniyah, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $657 in Al Kut and $667 in Sulaymaniyah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Sulaymaniyah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $657 in Al Kut to $667 in Sulaymaniyah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.