Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-miqdadiyah and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-miqdadiyah: $767 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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Al-miqdadiyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$767

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $767 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $958 in Erbil.

Al-miqdadiyah $767
Erbil $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,190 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $1,427 in Erbil.

Al-miqdadiyah $1,190
Erbil $1,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,614 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $1,896 in Erbil.

Al-miqdadiyah $1,614
Erbil $1,896

Living in Al-miqdadiyah costs roughly 20% less than in Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al-miqdadiyah 44% lower, Erbil 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 IQD 6,077

$6.42 IQD 9,704

-37.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.99 IQD 55.9K

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

1.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 IQD 11.3K

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

0.81%

Cappuccino

$3.25 IQD 4,907

$3.24 IQD 4,889

0.31%

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

$0.82 IQD 1,244

$0.89 IQD 1,341

-7.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 503

$0.33 IQD 505

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 IQD 8,620

$5.75 IQD 8,681

-0.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 IQD 5,822

$3.92 IQD 5,921

-1.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,671

$1.07 IQD 1,611

3.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 IQD 1,037

$0.67 IQD 1,019

2.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 IQD 2,204

$1.52 IQD 2,303

-3.95%

Eggs

$1.59 IQD 2,401

$1.60 IQD 2,413

-0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 IQD 10.9K

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

2.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 IQD 6,384

$4.38 IQD 6,614

-3.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 IQD 19.6K

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

2.45%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 IQD 1,463

$0.94 IQD 1,415

3.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 IQD 1,506

$1.01 IQD 1,528

-0.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,539

$1.02 IQD 1,544

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 IQD 1,070

$0.70 IQD 1,064

1.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 983

$0.65 IQD 982

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 IQD 943

$0.63 IQD 952

-1.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 905

$0.64 IQD 968

-6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.52 IQD 781

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.12 IQD 3,207

$2.19 IQD 3,303

-3.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.55 IQD 15.9K

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

-2.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 IQD 2,126

$1.45 IQD 2,191

-2.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 IQD 2,800

$1.79 IQD 2,712

3.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 IQD 440

$0.49 IQD 736

-40.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,540

$1.67 IQD 2,519

0.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 IQD 2,427

$1.60 IQD 2,418

0.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 IQD 8,223

$5.78 IQD 8,728

-5.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 866

$0.57 IQD 867

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

$16.8K IQD 25.3M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

-0.18%

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

$16.9K IQD 25.6M

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

-1.08%

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

$114 IQD 172.8K

$111 IQD 168.1K

2.79%

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

$12.20 IQD 18.4K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

-0.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.98 IQD 36.2K

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

-2.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

-31.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.98 IQD 15.1K

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

3.63%

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

$291 IQD 440.3K

$294 IQD 443.8K

-0.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,756 IQD 4.2M

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

1.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.15 IQD 41.0K

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

1.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

0.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 IQD 89.1K

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

-3.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 IQD 90.0K

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

-0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 IQD 308.7K

$426 IQD 643.6K

-52.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 IQD 235.3K

$271 IQD 410.0K

-42.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$341 IQD 515.6K

$699 IQD 1.1M

-51.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 IQD 439.2K

$404 IQD 610.4K

-28.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$921 IQD 1.4M

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

-9.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$518 IQD 782.9K

$615 IQD 929.8K

-15.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

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-miqdadiyah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al-miqdadiyah

$173 22.6%

Erbil

$174 18.1% 0.1% $0.1

Accommodation & Living

Al-miqdadiyah

$156 20.3%

Erbil

$271 28.3% 74.3% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-miqdadiyah

$151 19.6%

Erbil

$148 15.5% 1.6% $2.4

Eating Out

Al-miqdadiyah

$134 17.5%

Erbil

$154 16.1% 14.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Al-miqdadiyah

$83 10.8%

Erbil

$84 8.8% 1% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Al-miqdadiyah

$59 7.7%

Erbil

$76 8% 29.8% $17

Getting Around

Al-miqdadiyah

$11 * 1.4%

Erbil

$51 5.3% 368% $40

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 $426 in Erbil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-miqdadiyah

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

19:07 7:07 PM

Same time as Al-miqdadiyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,968

1,713,461

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Al-miqdadiyah Erbil 260 km

From you

Al-miqdadiyah
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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 Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-miqdadiyah and Erbil differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($767 vs $958 including rent). Al-miqdadiyah 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 $1,437 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: $204 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $426 in Erbil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $291 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $294 in Erbil. 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 $958 in Erbil – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Al-miqdadiyah 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.