Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-musayyib and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-musayyib: $768 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

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

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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Al-musayyib

🇮🇶 Iraq

$768

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $768 in Al-musayyib versus $958 in Erbil.

Al-musayyib $768
Erbil $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,152 in Al-musayyib versus $1,427 in Erbil.

Al-musayyib $1,152
Erbil $1,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,536 in Al-musayyib versus $1,896 in Erbil.

Al-musayyib $1,536
Erbil $1,896

Living in Al-musayyib 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-musayyib 44% lower, Erbil 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.50 IQD 6,793

$6.42 IQD 9,704

-29.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.91 IQD 39.1K

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

-29.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.43 IQD 9,721

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

-13.23%

Cappuccino

$2.82 IQD 4,267

$3.24 IQD 4,889

-12.96%

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

$0.38 IQD 576

$0.89 IQD 1,341

-57.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 332

$0.33 IQD 505

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 IQD 5,026

$5.75 IQD 8,681

-42.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 IQD 4,904

$3.92 IQD 5,921

-17.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 IQD 1,359

$1.07 IQD 1,611

-15.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 IQD 1,971

$1.52 IQD 2,303

-14.47%

Eggs

$1.29 IQD 1,951

$1.60 IQD 2,413

-19.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.42 IQD 5,163

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

-51.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 IQD 4,962

$4.38 IQD 6,614

-25.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 IQD 15.1K

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

-20.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,540

$0.94 IQD 1,415

8.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,357

$1.01 IQD 1,528

-10.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$1.02 IQD 1,544

-7.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 IQD 721

$0.70 IQD 1,064

-31.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 817

$0.65 IQD 982

-16.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 IQD 732

$0.63 IQD 952

-23.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 IQD 730

$0.64 IQD 968

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 IQD 518

$0.52 IQD 781

-34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 IQD 2,531

$2.19 IQD 3,303

-23.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 IQD 18.1K

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

10.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 IQD 2,862

$1.45 IQD 2,191

30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,831

$1.79 IQD 2,712

4.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 480

$0.49 IQD 736

-34.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 IQD 3,043

$1.67 IQD 2,519

20.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 IQD 1,961

$1.60 IQD 2,418

-18.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.75 IQD 10.2K

$5.78 IQD 8,728

16.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 825

$0.57 IQD 867

-3.51%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

-1.59%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

-3.48%

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

$187 IQD 282.9K

$111 IQD 168.1K

68.30%

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

$19.82 IQD 30.0K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

61.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.37 IQD 58.0K

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

55.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.70 IQD 50.9K

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

-40.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 IQD 15.4K

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

5.82%

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

$146 IQD 220.6K

$294 IQD 443.8K

-50.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,199 IQD 4.8M

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

17.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.73 IQD 38.9K

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

-3.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.53 IQD 50.7K

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

-12.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.9 IQD 89.0K

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

-3.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.11 IQD 62.1K

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

-31.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$206 IQD 311.9K

$426 IQD 643.6K

-51.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 IQD 192.6K

$271 IQD 410.0K

-53.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$321 IQD 485.3K

$699 IQD 1.1M

-54.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 IQD 465.5K

$404 IQD 610.4K

-23.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$974 IQD 1.5M

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

-4.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$537 IQD 811.4K

$615 IQD 929.8K

-12.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

2.53

62.85%

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

Last update for Al-musayyib: October 26, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-musayyib

$245 31.9%

Erbil

$148 15.5% 39.7% $97

Groceries & Markets

Al-musayyib

$145 18.9%

Erbil

$174 18.1% 19.5% $28

Accommodation & Living

Al-musayyib

$127 16.6%

Erbil

$271 28.3% 113% $144

Eating Out

Al-musayyib

$115 14.9%

Erbil

$154 16.1% 34.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Al-musayyib

$72 9.3%

Erbil

$84 8.8% 16.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Al-musayyib

$54 7%

Erbil

$76 8% 40.9% $22

Getting Around

Al-musayyib

$9.8 * 1.3%

Erbil

$51 5.3% 421% $41

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

Dining out: $26 in Al-musayyib vs $37 in Erbil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $145 vs $174 per month, with Al-musayyib cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-musayyib

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

12:14 12:14 PM

Same time as Al-musayyib

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

279,939

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

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Al-musayyib Erbil 380 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-musayyib vs Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-musayyib and Erbil differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($768 vs $958 including rent). Al-musayyib 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 $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: $206 in Al-musayyib versus $426 in Erbil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $146 in Al-musayyib versus $294 in Erbil. 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 $37 in Erbil. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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