Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-mawsil and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-mawsil: $598 a month against $1,048 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Al-mawsil
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Al-mawsil Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index

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Al-mawsil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$598

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $598 in Al-mawsil versus $1,048 in Baghdad.

Al-mawsil $598
Baghdad $1,048

Estimated couple costs with rent: $903 in Al-mawsil versus $1,508 in Baghdad.

Al-mawsil $903
Baghdad $1,508

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,207 in Al-mawsil versus $1,968 in Baghdad.

Al-mawsil $1,207
Baghdad $1,968

Living in Al-mawsil costs roughly 43% less than in Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al-mawsil 56% lower, Baghdad 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 IQD 6,148

$4.54 IQD 6,866

-10.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.40 IQD 15.7K

$26.64 IQD 40.3K

-60.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 IQD 7,571

$6.47 IQD 9,781

-22.57%

Cappuccino

$0.64 IQD 974

$2.68 IQD 4,054

-76.12%

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

$0.35 IQD 522

$0.39 IQD 584

-10.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 IQD 279

$0.20 IQD 302

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 IQD 1,311

$3.31 IQD 5,009

-73.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 IQD 2,051

$3.22 IQD 4,866

-57.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.64 IQD 970

$0.92 IQD 1,390

-30.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 IQD 978

$0.71 IQD 1,078

-8.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 830

$1.32 IQD 1,999

-58.33%

Eggs

$0.95 IQD 1,440

$1.71 IQD 2,577

-44.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 IQD 10.9K

$3.30 IQD 4,989

117.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.88 IQD 4,353

$4.15 IQD 6,269

-30.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.14 IQD 12.3K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

-33.50%

Apples (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 963

$1.00 IQD 1,513

-36.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 972

$0.98 IQD 1,487

-34.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.48 IQD 728

$0.95 IQD 1,440

-49.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.22 IQD 331

$0.68 IQD 1,021

-67.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.25 IQD 375

$0.58 IQD 877

-56.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 IQD 474

$0.57 IQD 854

-45.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 911

$0.60 IQD 903

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.61 IQD 927

-19.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 IQD 2,439

$1.67 IQD 2,531

-3.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 IQD 16.5K

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

-6.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,195

$1.99 IQD 3,005

-27.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 IQD 2,714

$1.96 IQD 2,962

-8.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 IQD 475

$0.32 IQD 480

-3.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.19 IQD 39.6K

$20.04 IQD 30.3K

30.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 IQD 2,438

$2.02 IQD 3,045

-20.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,420

$1.30 IQD 1,964

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 IQD 6,021

$6.67 IQD 10.1K

-40.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.31 IQD 472

$0.58 IQD 870

-46.55%

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

$13.0K IQD 19.7M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

-21.24%

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

$15.3K IQD 23.2M

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

-8.12%

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

$93.7 IQD 141.5K

$188 IQD 284.5K

-50.27%

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

$12.00 IQD 18.1K

$19.25 IQD 29.1K

-37.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.95 IQD 34.7K

$37.51 IQD 56.7K

-38.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.48 IQD 56.6K

$39.97 IQD 60.4K

-6.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.48 IQD 9,784

$18.38 IQD 27.8K

-64.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.42 IQD 9,708

$9.70 IQD 14.7K

-33.81%

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

$301 IQD 455.1K

$145 IQD 219.6K

107.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$604 IQD 912.4K

$3,297 IQD 5.0M

-81.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.49 IQD 24.9K

$25.60 IQD 38.7K

-35.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.99 IQD 19.6K

$33.32 IQD 50.3K

-61.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.0 IQD 90.6K

$60.2 IQD 90.9K

-0.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$15.65 IQD 23.6K

$41.85 IQD 63.2K

-62.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$211 IQD 318.8K

$537 IQD 811.6K

-60.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 IQD 209.6K

$364 IQD 550.5K

-61.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 IQD 557.1K

$963 IQD 1.5M

-61.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 IQD 466.9K

$624 IQD 943.1K

-50.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$851 IQD 1.3M

$4,276 IQD 6.5M

-80.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$435 IQD 657.4K

$1,379 IQD 2.1M

-68.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$521 IQD 787.2K

$518 IQD 782.8K

0.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

4.12

-38.59%

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

Last update for Al-mawsil: October 25, 2026

Last update for Baghdad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al-mawsil

$139 23.2%

Baghdad

$364 34.8% 163% $226

Groceries & Markets

Al-mawsil

$132 22%

Baghdad

$164 15.6% 24.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-mawsil

$129 21.5%

Baghdad

$245 23.4% 90.6% $116

Eating Out

Al-mawsil

$64 10.8%

Baghdad

$113 10.8% 75.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Al-mawsil

$50 8.4%

Baghdad

$59 5.7% 18% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Al-mawsil

$47 7.9%

Baghdad

$72 6.9% 53.2% $25

Getting Around

Al-mawsil

$37 6.2%

Baghdad

$30 2.9% 19.5% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $211 in Al-mawsil and $537 in Baghdad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $10 in Al-mawsil vs $27 in Baghdad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $132 vs $164 per month, with Al-mawsil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-mawsil

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

07:47 7:47 AM

Same time as Al-mawsil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,683,000

7,216,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Al-mawsil Baghdad 360 km

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Al-mawsil
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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-mawsil vs Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-mawsil is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $897 in Al-mawsil and $1,572 in Baghdad to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $211 in Al-mawsil versus $537 in Baghdad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $301 in Al-mawsil versus $145 in Baghdad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Baghdad. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $598 in Al-mawsil versus $1,048 in Baghdad, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al-mawsil but tight or insufficient in Baghdad. The gap between the two cities makes Al-mawsil the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.