Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-mawsil and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-mawsil: $597 a month against $960 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Al-mawsil
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Al-mawsil Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
Learn more

Erbil Living Index

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Al-mawsil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$597

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$960

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $597 in Al-mawsil versus $960 in Erbil.

Al-mawsil $597
Erbil $960

Estimated couple costs with rent: $906 in Al-mawsil versus $1,439 in Erbil.

Al-mawsil $906
Erbil $1,439

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,214 in Al-mawsil versus $1,918 in Erbil.

Al-mawsil $1,214
Erbil $1,918

Living in Al-mawsil costs roughly 38% less than in Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al-mawsil 56% lower, Erbil 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.17 IQD 6,296

$6.65 IQD 10.1K

-37.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.66 IQD 16.1K

$37.28 IQD 56.3K

-71.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 IQD 7,265

$7.27 IQD 11.0K

-33.84%

Cappuccino

$0.68 IQD 1,029

$3.25 IQD 4,914

-79.08%

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

$0.32 IQD 482

$0.89 IQD 1,350

-64.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 IQD 265

$0.36 IQD 545

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.81 IQD 1,224

$5.76 IQD 8,706

-85.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 IQD 2,029

$4.52 IQD 6,834

-70.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 IQD 1,037

$1.05 IQD 1,587

-34.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 IQD 976

$0.64 IQD 970

1.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 872

$1.44 IQD 2,180

-59.72%

Eggs

$0.95 IQD 1,435

$1.52 IQD 2,298

-37.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 IQD 10.9K

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

2.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 IQD 4,522

$4.41 IQD 6,661

-32.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 IQD 11.9K

$12.64 IQD 19.1K

-37.58%

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,031

$0.99 IQD 1,501

-31.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,033

$0.99 IQD 1,493

-31.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 738

$1.07 IQD 1,612

-54.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.24 IQD 364

$0.69 IQD 1,050

-65.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 IQD 410

$0.64 IQD 972

-57.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 IQD 482

$0.57 IQD 865

-43.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 911

$0.66 IQD 998

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 779

$0.51 IQD 770

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 IQD 2,425

$2.12 IQD 3,209

-24.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

$10.56 IQD 16.0K

2.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 IQD 2,237

$1.46 IQD 2,209

1.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 IQD 2,810

$1.82 IQD 2,750

2.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 IQD 523

$0.50 IQD 759

-30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.92 IQD 39.2K

$39.67 IQD 59.9K

-34.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,521

$1.67 IQD 2,520

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 IQD 2,349

$1.54 IQD 2,325

0.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 IQD 6,008

$5.48 IQD 8,286

-27.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.29 IQD 432

$0.58 IQD 884

-50.00%

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

$13.4K IQD 20.2M

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

-20.23%

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

$15.4K IQD 23.3M

$17.0K IQD 25.7M

-9.32%

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

$90.9 IQD 137.3K

$116 IQD 174.8K

-21.43%

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

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

$11.96 IQD 18.1K

1.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.19 IQD 35.0K

$24.50 IQD 37.0K

-5.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

-35.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

$13.43 IQD 20.3K

-50.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 IQD 9,880

$9.99 IQD 15.1K

-34.53%

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

$295 IQD 445.5K

$297 IQD 448.2K

-0.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$589 IQD 889.3K

$4,080 IQD 6.2M

-85.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.58 IQD 25.1K

$26.29 IQD 39.7K

-36.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.00 IQD 19.6K

$38.72 IQD 58.5K

-66.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

$60.8 IQD 91.8K

-2.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$16.06 IQD 24.3K

$58.8 IQD 88.9K

-72.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$212 IQD 319.8K

$441 IQD 666.1K

-51.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 IQD 210.0K

$268 IQD 404.7K

-48.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 IQD 564.8K

$696 IQD 1.1M

-46.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 IQD 475.0K

$414 IQD 626.0K

-24.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$868 IQD 1.3M

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

-17.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 IQD 741.2K

$600 IQD 906.7K

-18.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$522 IQD 788.5K

$514 IQD 776.4K

1.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

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

Last update for Al-mawsil: October 31, 2026

Last update for Erbil: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al-mawsil

$139 23.3%

Erbil

$268 27.9% 92.7% $129

Groceries & Markets

Al-mawsil

$133 22.3%

Erbil

$172 18% 29.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-mawsil

$126 21.1%

Erbil

$152 15.8% 20.6% $26

Eating Out

Al-mawsil

$65 10.8%

Erbil

$157 16.3% 143% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Al-mawsil

$50 8.4%

Erbil

$77 8% 53.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Al-mawsil

$47 7.9%

Erbil

$83 8.7% 75.8% $36

Getting Around

Al-mawsil

$37 6.2%

Erbil

$51 5.3% 38.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $212 in Al-mawsil and $441 in Erbil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $11 in Al-mawsil vs $37 in Erbil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $133 vs $172 per month, with Al-mawsil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-mawsil

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

Same time as Al-mawsil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,683,000

1,713,461

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Al-mawsil Erbil 81 km

From you

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

Al-mawsil is about 38% 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 $895 in Al-mawsil and $1,441 in Erbil 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: $212 in Al-mawsil versus $441 in Erbil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $295 in Al-mawsil versus $297 in Erbil. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Erbil. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Al-mawsil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Erbil. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.