Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-musayyib and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $664 a month against $768 in Al-musayyib, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Al-musayyib outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

38

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

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index

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Al-musayyib

🇮🇶 Iraq

$768

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $768 in Al-musayyib versus $664 in Basra.

Al-musayyib $768
Basra $664

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,152 in Al-musayyib versus $1,194 in Basra.

Al-musayyib $1,152
Basra $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,536 in Al-musayyib versus $1,725 in Basra.

Al-musayyib $1,536
Basra $1,725

Living in Al-musayyib 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-musayyib 44% lower, Basra 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.50 IQD 6,793

$3.88 IQD 5,859

15.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.91 IQD 39.1K

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

-3.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.43 IQD 9,721

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

-4.03%

Cappuccino

$2.82 IQD 4,267

$2.29 IQD 3,462

23.14%

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

$0.38 IQD 576

$0.38 IQD 568

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 332

$0.30 IQD 458

-26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 IQD 5,026

$3.28 IQD 4,951

1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 IQD 4,904

$3.67 IQD 5,541

-11.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 IQD 1,359

$0.99 IQD 1,502

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.61 IQD 920

9.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 IQD 1,971

$1.21 IQD 1,833

7.44%

Eggs

$1.29 IQD 1,951

$1.60 IQD 2,417

-19.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.42 IQD 5,163

$6.32 IQD 9,552

-45.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 IQD 4,962

$5.40 IQD 8,161

-39.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 IQD 15.1K

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

-17.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,540

$0.84 IQD 1,265

21.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,357

$1.18 IQD 1,784

-23.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$0.85 IQD 1,285

10.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 IQD 721

$0.55 IQD 834

-12.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 817

$0.64 IQD 960

-15.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 IQD 732

$0.54 IQD 813

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 IQD 730

$0.80 IQD 1,211

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 IQD 518

$0.34 IQD 512

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 IQD 2,531

$1.80 IQD 2,725

-6.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 IQD 18.1K

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

6.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 IQD 2,862

$1.58 IQD 2,383

19.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,831

$1.82 IQD 2,755

2.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 480

$0.52 IQD 789

-38.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 IQD 3,043

$1.93 IQD 2,923

4.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 IQD 1,961

$1.95 IQD 2,948

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.75 IQD 10.2K

$6.34 IQD 9,576

6.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 825

$0.56 IQD 841

-1.79%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

44.60%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

-15.81%

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

$187 IQD 282.9K

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

326.28%

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

$19.82 IQD 30.0K

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

-11.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.37 IQD 58.0K

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

14.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.70 IQD 50.9K

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

5.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 IQD 15.4K

$6.56 IQD 9,906

55.34%

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

$146 IQD 220.6K

$109 IQD 165.2K

33.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,199 IQD 4.8M

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

-1.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.73 IQD 38.9K

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

-40.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.53 IQD 50.7K

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

93.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.9 IQD 89.0K

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

-14.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.11 IQD 62.1K

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

14.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$206 IQD 311.9K

$405 IQD 611.7K

-49.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 IQD 192.6K

$138 IQD 208.3K

-7.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$321 IQD 485.3K

$369 IQD 558.1K

-13.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 IQD 465.5K

$548 IQD 828.2K

-43.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$974 IQD 1.5M

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

-30.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$537 IQD 811.4K

$707 IQD 1.1M

-24.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 IQD 1.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

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

Last update for Al-musayyib: October 26, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-musayyib

$245 31.9%

Basra

$100 15% 59.3% $146

Groceries & Markets

Al-musayyib

$145 18.9%

Basra

$171 25.8% 17.8% $26

Accommodation & Living

Al-musayyib

$127 16.6%

Basra

$138 20.8% 8.2% $10

Eating Out

Al-musayyib

$115 14.9%

Basra

$105 15.8% 8.4% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Al-musayyib

$72 9.3%

Basra

$74 11.2% 3.9% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Al-musayyib

$54 7%

Basra

$45 6.8% 16.9% $9.1

Getting Around

Al-musayyib

$9.8 * 1.3%

Basra

$30 4.6% 209% $20

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 $206 in Al-musayyib and $405 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26 in Al-musayyib vs $27 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $145 vs $171 per month, with Al-musayyib cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-musayyib

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

Same time as Al-musayyib

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

279,939

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

Al-musayyib and Basra differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($768 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 $1,153 in Al-musayyib 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: $206 in Al-musayyib versus $405 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $146 in Al-musayyib versus $109 in Basra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-musayyib – a meal for two runs $26 versus $27 in Basra. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.