Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-miqdadiyah and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $664 a month against $767 in Al-miqdadiyah, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Al-miqdadiyah
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Al-miqdadiyah Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index

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Al-miqdadiyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$767

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al-miqdadiyah and in Basra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $767 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $664 in Basra.

Al-miqdadiyah $767
Basra $664

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,190 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $1,194 in Basra.

Al-miqdadiyah $1,190
Basra $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,614 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $1,725 in Basra.

Al-miqdadiyah $1,614
Basra $1,725

Living in Al-miqdadiyah is roughly 16% more expensive than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al-miqdadiyah 44% lower, Basra 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 IQD 6,077

$3.88 IQD 5,859

3.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.99 IQD 55.9K

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

37.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 IQD 11.3K

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

11.49%

Cappuccino

$3.25 IQD 4,907

$2.29 IQD 3,462

41.92%

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

$0.82 IQD 1,244

$0.38 IQD 568

115.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 503

$0.30 IQD 458

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 IQD 8,620

$3.28 IQD 4,951

73.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 IQD 5,822

$3.67 IQD 5,541

4.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,671

$0.99 IQD 1,502

12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 IQD 1,037

$0.61 IQD 920

13.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 IQD 2,204

$1.21 IQD 1,833

20.66%

Eggs

$1.59 IQD 2,401

$1.60 IQD 2,417

-0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 IQD 10.9K

$6.32 IQD 9,552

13.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 IQD 6,384

$5.40 IQD 8,161

-21.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 IQD 19.6K

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

7.10%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 IQD 1,463

$0.84 IQD 1,265

15.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 IQD 1,506

$1.18 IQD 1,784

-15.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,539

$0.85 IQD 1,285

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 IQD 1,070

$0.55 IQD 834

29.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 983

$0.64 IQD 960

1.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 IQD 943

$0.54 IQD 813

14.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 905

$0.80 IQD 1,211

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.34 IQD 512

44.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.12 IQD 3,207

$1.80 IQD 2,725

17.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.55 IQD 15.9K

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

-5.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 IQD 2,126

$1.58 IQD 2,383

-10.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 IQD 2,800

$1.82 IQD 2,755

1.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 IQD 440

$0.52 IQD 789

-44.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,540

$1.93 IQD 2,923

-12.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 IQD 2,427

$1.95 IQD 2,948

-17.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 IQD 8,223

$6.34 IQD 9,576

-14.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 866

$0.56 IQD 841

1.79%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.3M

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

46.67%

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

$16.9K IQD 25.6M

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

-13.72%

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

$114 IQD 172.8K

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

160.34%

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

$12.20 IQD 18.4K

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

-45.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.98 IQD 36.2K

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

-28.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

21.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$9.98 IQD 15.1K

$6.56 IQD 9,906

52.13%

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

$291 IQD 440.3K

$109 IQD 165.2K

166.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,756 IQD 4.2M

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

-14.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.15 IQD 41.0K

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

-37.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

123.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 IQD 89.1K

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

-14.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 IQD 90.0K

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

65.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 IQD 308.7K

$405 IQD 611.7K

-49.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 IQD 235.3K

$138 IQD 208.3K

12.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$341 IQD 515.6K

$369 IQD 558.1K

-7.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 IQD 439.2K

$548 IQD 828.2K

-46.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$921 IQD 1.4M

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

-34.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$518 IQD 782.9K

$707 IQD 1.1M

-26.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 IQD 1.0M

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-miqdadiyah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al-miqdadiyah

$173 22.6%

Basra

$171 25.8% 1.3% $2.3

Accommodation & Living

Al-miqdadiyah

$156 20.3%

Basra

$138 20.8% 11.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-miqdadiyah

$151 19.6%

Basra

$100 15% 33.7% $51

Eating Out

Al-miqdadiyah

$134 17.5%

Basra

$105 15.8% 21.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Al-miqdadiyah

$83 10.8%

Basra

$74 11.2% 10.2% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Al-miqdadiyah

$59 7.7%

Basra

$45 6.8% 23.4% $14

Getting Around

Al-miqdadiyah

$11 * 1.4%

Basra

$30 4.6% 178% $19

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 $204 in Al-miqdadiyah and $405 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Al-miqdadiyah vs $27 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $171 per month, with Basra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-miqdadiyah

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

21:45 9:45 PM

Same time as Al-miqdadiyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,968

2,150,000

💱 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

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Al-miqdadiyah Basra 470 km

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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-miqdadiyah vs Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-miqdadiyah and Basra differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($767 vs $664 including rent). Basra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,150 in Al-miqdadiyah and $995 in Basra 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: $204 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $405 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $291 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $109 in Basra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $767 per month in Al-miqdadiyah versus $664 in Basra – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Basra gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.