Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-Rumaitha and Basra

For one person, living costs are similar in Al-Rumaitha and in Basra: $650 and $652 a month, rent and utilities included.

32

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

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index

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Al-Rumaitha

🇮🇶 Iraq

$650

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$652

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $650 in Al-Rumaitha versus $652 in Basra.

Al-Rumaitha $650
Basra $652

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,027 in Al-Rumaitha versus $1,179 in Basra.

Al-Rumaitha $1,027
Basra $1,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,403 in Al-Rumaitha versus $1,706 in Basra.

Al-Rumaitha $1,403
Basra $1,706

Monthly costs are close between Al-Rumaitha and Basra; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al-Rumaitha 52% lower, Basra 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.62 IQD 5,465

$4.06 IQD 6,134

-10.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.11 IQD 34.9K

$26.00 IQD 39.3K

-11.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.08 IQD 10.7K

$6.42 IQD 9,706

10.28%

Cappuccino

$2.33 IQD 3,523

$2.21 IQD 3,342

5.43%

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

$0.31 IQD 471

$0.36 IQD 551

-13.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 IQD 286

$0.30 IQD 455

-36.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 IQD 4,398

$3.21 IQD 4,849

-9.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 IQD 3,936

$3.57 IQD 5,394

-27.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 IQD 1,298

$0.97 IQD 1,460

-11.34%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 IQD 1,185

$0.56 IQD 841

39.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 IQD 2,063

$1.25 IQD 1,895

9.60%

Eggs

$1.58 IQD 2,392

$1.62 IQD 2,442

-2.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.09 IQD 6,174

$6.28 IQD 9,486

-34.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 IQD 5,449

$5.33 IQD 8,061

-32.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.06 IQD 18.2K

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

-0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 IQD 1,384

$0.90 IQD 1,356

2.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,428

$1.18 IQD 1,787

-19.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,268

$0.84 IQD 1,266

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 IQD 1,002

$0.60 IQD 904

10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 844

$0.69 IQD 1,044

-18.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 849

$0.53 IQD 802

5.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 IQD 839

$0.77 IQD 1,160

-27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 717

$0.36 IQD 546

30.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 IQD 2,468

$1.79 IQD 2,705

-8.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 IQD 16.2K

$10.93 IQD 16.5K

-2.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 IQD 2,120

$1.46 IQD 2,204

-4.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 IQD 2,691

$1.73 IQD 2,617

2.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 IQD 639

$0.50 IQD 756

-16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.08 IQD 33.4K

$16.76 IQD 25.3K

31.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.80 IQD 2,724

$1.95 IQD 2,946

-7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 IQD 2,031

$1.94 IQD 2,930

-30.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 IQD 7,268

$6.35 IQD 9,594

-24.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 IQD 766

$0.56 IQD 849

-8.93%

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

$14.9K IQD 22.6M

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

27.32%

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

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

$19.5K IQD 29.5M

-13.52%

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

$88.6 IQD 133.9K

$44.55 IQD 67.3K

98.88%

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

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

$22.24 IQD 33.6K

-45.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.88 IQD 37.6K

$33.88 IQD 51.2K

-26.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.29 IQD 56.3K

$30.91 IQD 46.7K

20.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.39 IQD 5,120

$11.94 IQD 18.0K

-71.61%

Cinema Ticket

$9.20 IQD 13.9K

$6.55 IQD 9,898

40.46%

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

$128 IQD 193.8K

$109 IQD 164.7K

17.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,684 IQD 4.1M

$3,250 IQD 4.9M

-17.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.77 IQD 31.4K

$43.34 IQD 65.5K

-52.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.12 IQD 31.9K

$17.27 IQD 26.1K

22.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.80 IQD 70.7K

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

-30.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.79 IQD 46.5K

$35.95 IQD 54.3K

-14.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$178 IQD 269.0K

$409 IQD 617.4K

-56.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$128 IQD 194.1K

$129 IQD 195.6K

-0.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 IQD 564.1K

$748 IQD 1.1M

-50.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 IQD 465.9K

$539 IQD 814.7K

-42.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$629 IQD 951.1K

$1,363 IQD 2.1M

-53.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$532 IQD 803.7K

$688 IQD 1.0M

-22.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 IQD 979.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

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

Last update for Al-Rumaitha: October 10, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al-Rumaitha

$154 23.7%

Basra

$170 26% 10% $15

Accommodation & Living

Al-Rumaitha

$128 19.8%

Basra

$129 19.9% 0.8% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-Rumaitha

$126 19.3%

Basra

$101 15.4% 19.9% $25

Eating Out

Al-Rumaitha

$100 15.4%

Basra

$104 16% 4.2% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Al-Rumaitha

$56 8.6%

Basra

$44 6.8% 21% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Al-Rumaitha

$54 8.3%

Basra

$74 11.3% 36.9% $20

Getting Around

Al-Rumaitha

$32 5%

Basra

$30 4.7% 5.9% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $178 in Al-Rumaitha and $409 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Al-Rumaitha vs $26.00 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $154 vs $170 per month, with Al-Rumaitha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-Rumaitha

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

Same time as Al-Rumaitha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,431

2,150,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Al-Rumaitha Basra 270 km

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Al-Rumaitha
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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-Rumaitha vs Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You'd need roughly $975 in Al-Rumaitha and $978 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: $178 in Al-Rumaitha versus $409 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $128 in Al-Rumaitha 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-Rumaitha – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $26.00 in Basra. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Al-Rumaitha 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.

It comes down to priorities – Al-Rumaitha wins on affordability, Basra on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.