Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-Rumaitha and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living costs are similar in Al-Rumaitha and in Sulaymaniyah: $650 and $668 a month, rent and utilities included.

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

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Al-Rumaitha

🇮🇶 Iraq

$650

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $650 in Al-Rumaitha versus $668 in Sulaymaniyah.

Al-Rumaitha $650
Sulaymaniyah $668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,027 in Al-Rumaitha versus $1,038 in Sulaymaniyah.

Al-Rumaitha $1,027
Sulaymaniyah $1,038

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,403 in Al-Rumaitha versus $1,407 in Sulaymaniyah.

Al-Rumaitha $1,403
Sulaymaniyah $1,407

Living in Al-Rumaitha costs roughly 3% less than in Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al-Rumaitha 52% lower, Sulaymaniyah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.62 IQD 5,465

$4.41 IQD 6,664

-17.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.11 IQD 34.9K

$20.08 IQD 30.3K

15.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.08 IQD 10.7K

$6.02 IQD 9,090

17.61%

Cappuccino

$2.33 IQD 3,523

$2.38 IQD 3,595

-2.10%

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

$0.31 IQD 471

$0.42 IQD 639

-26.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 IQD 286

$0.22 IQD 332

-13.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 IQD 4,398

$3.25 IQD 4,910

-10.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 IQD 3,936

$1.96 IQD 2,968

32.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 IQD 1,298

$1.10 IQD 1,659

-21.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 IQD 1,185

$0.86 IQD 1,300

-9.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 IQD 2,063

$1.65 IQD 2,494

-16.97%

Eggs

$1.58 IQD 2,392

$1.48 IQD 2,232

6.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.09 IQD 6,174

$4.46 IQD 6,743

-8.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 IQD 5,449

$3.53 IQD 5,334

2.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.06 IQD 18.2K

$12.97 IQD 19.6K

-7.02%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 IQD 1,384

$1.14 IQD 1,730

-19.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,428

$1.07 IQD 1,619

-11.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,268

$1.01 IQD 1,524

-16.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 IQD 1,002

$0.58 IQD 878

13.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 844

$0.49 IQD 739

14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 849

$0.59 IQD 892

-5.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 IQD 839

$0.63 IQD 950

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 717

$0.45 IQD 682

4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 IQD 2,468

$2.00 IQD 3,021

-18.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 IQD 16.2K

$9.99 IQD 15.1K

7.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 IQD 2,120

$1.67 IQD 2,527

-16.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 IQD 2,691

$1.26 IQD 1,899

41.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 IQD 639

$0.51 IQD 769

-17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.08 IQD 33.4K

$19.73 IQD 29.8K

11.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.80 IQD 2,724

$1.95 IQD 2,952

-7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 IQD 2,031

$1.94 IQD 2,925

-30.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 IQD 7,268

$4.60 IQD 6,957

4.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 IQD 766

$0.57 IQD 857

-10.53%

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

$14.9K IQD 22.6M

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

-15.15%

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

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

1.65%

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

$88.6 IQD 133.9K

$87.2 IQD 131.7K

1.65%

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

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

$10.17 IQD 15.4K

19.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.88 IQD 37.6K

$23.75 IQD 35.9K

4.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.29 IQD 56.3K

$34.59 IQD 52.3K

7.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.39 IQD 5,120

$17.49 IQD 26.4K

-80.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.20 IQD 13.9K

$6.66 IQD 10.1K

38.14%

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

$128 IQD 193.8K

$150 IQD 227.3K

-14.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,684 IQD 4.1M

$2,553 IQD 3.9M

5.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.77 IQD 31.4K

$16.58 IQD 25.0K

25.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.12 IQD 31.9K

$21.70 IQD 32.8K

-2.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.80 IQD 70.7K

$37.04 IQD 56.0K

26.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.79 IQD 46.5K

$33.18 IQD 50.1K

-7.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$178 IQD 269.0K

$187 IQD 283.1K

-4.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$128 IQD 194.1K

$149 IQD 225.8K

-14.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 IQD 564.1K

$410 IQD 619.7K

-8.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 IQD 465.9K

$313 IQD 472.8K

-1.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$629 IQD 951.1K

$688 IQD 1.0M

-8.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$532 IQD 803.7K

$530 IQD 800.5K

0.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$487 IQD 735.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

5.77

-42.29%

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

Last update for Al-Rumaitha: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al-Rumaitha

$154 23.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$163 24.4% 5.3% $8.3

Accommodation & Living

Al-Rumaitha

$128 19.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$149 22.4% 16.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-Rumaitha

$126 19.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$121 18.1% 3.6% $4.5

Eating Out

Al-Rumaitha

$100 15.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$105 15.7% 4.7% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Al-Rumaitha

$56 8.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$48 7.2% 14% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Al-Rumaitha

$54 8.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.3% 9.2% $4.9

Getting Around

Al-Rumaitha

$32 5%

Sulaymaniyah

$33 5% 3.4% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $178 in Al-Rumaitha and $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Al-Rumaitha vs $20.00 in Sulaymaniyah. Groceries flip the comparison at $154 vs $163, with Al-Rumaitha cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-Rumaitha

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

Same time as Al-Rumaitha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,431

823,199

💱 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

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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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Rumaitha is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $975 in Al-Rumaitha and $1,002 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: $178 in Al-Rumaitha versus $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $650 per month in Al-Rumaitha versus $668 in Sulaymaniyah – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Al-Rumaitha runs roughly 12% less than in Sulaymaniyah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Al-Rumaitha and Sulaymaniyah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Al-Rumaitha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Sulaymaniyah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.