Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-miqdadiyah and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $663 a month against $767 in Al-miqdadiyah, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Al-miqdadiyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$767

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $767 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $663 in Sulaymaniyah.

Al-miqdadiyah $767
Sulaymaniyah $663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,190 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $1,034 in Sulaymaniyah.

Al-miqdadiyah $1,190
Sulaymaniyah $1,034

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,614 in Al-miqdadiyah versus $1,406 in Sulaymaniyah.

Al-miqdadiyah $1,614
Sulaymaniyah $1,406

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 IQD 6,077

$4.21 IQD 6,363

-4.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.99 IQD 55.9K

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

87.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 IQD 11.3K

$5.90 IQD 8,916

26.61%

Cappuccino

$3.25 IQD 4,907

$2.45 IQD 3,702

32.65%

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

$0.82 IQD 1,244

$0.43 IQD 650

90.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 503

$0.20 IQD 302

65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 IQD 8,620

$3.22 IQD 4,873

77.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 IQD 5,822

$2.04 IQD 3,080

88.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,671

$1.11 IQD 1,677

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 IQD 1,037

$0.89 IQD 1,339

-22.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 IQD 2,204

$1.66 IQD 2,516

-12.05%

Eggs

$1.59 IQD 2,401

$1.55 IQD 2,345

2.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 IQD 10.9K

$4.31 IQD 6,509

66.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 IQD 6,384

$3.66 IQD 5,536

15.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 IQD 19.6K

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

-2.19%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 IQD 1,463

$1.11 IQD 1,680

-12.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 IQD 1,506

$1.09 IQD 1,646

-8.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,539

$1.04 IQD 1,579

-1.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 IQD 1,070

$0.56 IQD 843

26.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 983

$0.49 IQD 740

32.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 IQD 943

$0.63 IQD 957

-1.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 905

$0.58 IQD 883

3.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.45 IQD 685

8.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.12 IQD 3,207

$2.02 IQD 3,049

4.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.55 IQD 15.9K

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

8.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 IQD 2,126

$1.66 IQD 2,509

-15.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 IQD 2,800

$1.25 IQD 1,896

48.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 IQD 440

$0.52 IQD 786

-44.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,540

$1.92 IQD 2,904

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 IQD 2,427

$1.96 IQD 2,961

-17.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 IQD 8,223

$4.48 IQD 6,774

21.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 866

$0.57 IQD 865

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

$16.8K IQD 25.3M

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

-4.62%

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

$16.9K IQD 25.6M

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

-0.06%

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

$114 IQD 172.8K

$85.2 IQD 128.7K

34.25%

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

$12.20 IQD 18.4K

$10.12 IQD 15.3K

20.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.98 IQD 36.2K

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

-0.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

$33.78 IQD 51.0K

14.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 IQD 27.1K

Cinema Ticket

$9.98 IQD 15.1K

$6.56 IQD 9,916

52.13%

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

$291 IQD 440.3K

$153 IQD 231.1K

90.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,756 IQD 4.2M

$2,546 IQD 3.8M

8.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.15 IQD 41.0K

$16.75 IQD 25.3K

62.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

73.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 IQD 89.1K

$36.83 IQD 55.7K

60.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 IQD 90.0K

$33.01 IQD 49.9K

80.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 IQD 308.7K

$187 IQD 282.6K

9.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 IQD 235.3K

$147 IQD 221.9K

6.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$341 IQD 515.6K

$419 IQD 632.8K

-18.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 IQD 439.2K

$314 IQD 474.4K

-7.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$921 IQD 1.4M

$695 IQD 1.1M

32.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$518 IQD 782.9K

$548 IQD 828.2K

-5.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 IQD 757.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

5.77

-56.15%

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

Last update for Al-miqdadiyah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al-miqdadiyah

$173 22.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$164 24.7% 5.6% $9.7

Accommodation & Living

Al-miqdadiyah

$156 20.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$147 22.2% 5.7% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-miqdadiyah

$151 19.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$119 18% 20.7% $31

Eating Out

Al-miqdadiyah

$134 17.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6% 23% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Al-miqdadiyah

$83 10.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4% 41% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Al-miqdadiyah

$59 7.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1% 20.1% $12

Getting Around

Al-miqdadiyah

$11 * 1.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5.1% 208% $23

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 $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Al-miqdadiyah vs $20 in Sulaymaniyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $164 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-miqdadiyah

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

Same time as Al-miqdadiyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,968

823,199

💱 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 Sulaymaniyah 180 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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-miqdadiyah and Sulaymaniyah differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($767 vs $663 including rent). Sulaymaniyah 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 $994 in Sulaymaniyah 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 $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Al-miqdadiyah. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $767 per month in Al-miqdadiyah versus $663 in Sulaymaniyah – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Sulaymaniyah 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.