Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between An Najaf and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in An Najaf: $565 a month against $664 in Basra, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in An Najaf
Learn more

An Najaf Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
Learn more

Basra Living Index

Jump to prices

An Najaf

🇮🇶 Iraq

$565

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $565 per month in An Najaf vs $664 in Basra, rent included.

An Najaf $565
Basra $664

A couple spends around $854 per month in An Najaf vs $1,194 in Basra, rent included.

An Najaf $854
Basra $1,194

A family of three spends $1,143 per month in An Najaf vs $1,725 in Basra, rent included.

An Najaf $1,143
Basra $1,725

An Najaf is about 15% cheaper than Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both An Najaf and Basra are more affordable than the global median – An Najaf 58% lower, Basra 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 IQD 5,856

$3.88 IQD 5,859

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.70 IQD 29.8K

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

-26.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.32 IQD 6,528

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

-35.52%

Cappuccino

$2.26 IQD 3,416

$2.29 IQD 3,462

-1.31%

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

$0.39 IQD 582

$0.38 IQD 568

2.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$0.30 IQD 458

-26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 IQD 4,923

$3.28 IQD 4,951

-0.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 IQD 3,055

$3.67 IQD 5,541

-44.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 IQD 1,367

$0.99 IQD 1,502

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,023

$0.61 IQD 920

11.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 IQD 1,972

$1.21 IQD 1,833

8.26%

Eggs

$1.68 IQD 2,542

$1.60 IQD 2,417

5.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.28 IQD 4,951

$6.32 IQD 9,552

-48.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 IQD 5,187

$5.40 IQD 8,161

-36.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.56 IQD 14.5K

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

-21.12%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 IQD 1,458

$0.84 IQD 1,265

15.48%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,375

$1.18 IQD 1,784

-22.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,425

$0.85 IQD 1,285

10.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,029

$0.55 IQD 834

23.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 841

$0.64 IQD 960

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 919

$0.54 IQD 813

12.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 877

$0.80 IQD 1,211

-27.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 IQD 743

$0.34 IQD 512

44.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 IQD 2,462

$1.80 IQD 2,725

-9.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.93 IQD 18.0K

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

6.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 IQD 2,919

$1.58 IQD 2,383

22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 IQD 2,892

$1.82 IQD 2,755

4.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 IQD 462

$0.52 IQD 789

-40.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 IQD 1,974

$1.93 IQD 2,923

-32.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 IQD 1,975

$1.95 IQD 2,948

-32.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 IQD 8,132

$6.34 IQD 9,576

-15.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.41 IQD 625

$0.56 IQD 841

-26.79%

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

$12.1K IQD 18.4M

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

6.27%

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

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

-14.12%

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

$34.87 IQD 52.7K

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

-20.61%

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

$14.80 IQD 22.4K

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

-33.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.39 IQD 50.5K

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

-0.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.35 IQD 38.3K

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

-20.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 IQD 12.7K

$6.56 IQD 9,906

28.66%

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

$147 IQD 222.0K

$109 IQD 165.2K

34.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$797 IQD 1.2M

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

-75.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.04 IQD 22.7K

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

-65.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.28 IQD 35.2K

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

34.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 IQD 91.2K

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

-12.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.51 IQD 62.7K

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

15.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$234 IQD 353.4K

$405 IQD 611.7K

-42.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$125 IQD 188.4K

$138 IQD 208.3K

-9.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$311 IQD 469.6K

$369 IQD 558.1K

-15.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 IQD 286.0K

$548 IQD 828.2K

-65.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,097 IQD 1.7M

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

-21.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$445 IQD 672.6K

$707 IQD 1.1M

-37.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$670 IQD 1.0M

$667 IQD 1.0M

0.55%

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 An Najaf: October 27, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

An Najaf

$149 26.4%

Basra

$171 25.8% 14.6% $22

Accommodation & Living

An Najaf

$125 22.1%

Basra

$138 20.8% 10.6% $13

Eating Out

An Najaf

$94 16.6%

Basra

$105 15.8% 11.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

An Najaf

$83 14.7%

Basra

$100 15% 20.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

An Najaf

$63 11.2%

Basra

$74 11.2% 18.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

An Najaf

$42 7.5%

Basra

$45 6.8% 6.5% $2.7

Getting Around

An Najaf

$9.1 * 1.6%

Basra

$30 4.6% 233% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $234 in An Najaf versus $405 in Basra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in An Najaf versus $27 in Basra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $149 vs $171 – making An Najaf the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 An Najaf

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

Same time as An Najaf

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,221,248

2,150,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

An Najaf Basra 370 km

From you

An Najaf
Basra

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

An Najaf vs Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basra costs about 17% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $848 per month in An Najaf and $995 in Basra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in An Najaf, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $234 there versus $405 in Basra.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $565 in An Najaf and $664 in Basra. That makes An Najaf about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $147 per month in An Najaf and $109 in Basra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $565 in An Najaf and $664 in Basra, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.