Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between An Najaf and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in An Najaf: $565 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in An Najaf
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An Najaf Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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An Najaf

🇮🇶 Iraq

$565

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $565 per month in An Najaf vs $958 in Erbil, rent included.

An Najaf $565
Erbil $958

A couple spends around $854 per month in An Najaf vs $1,427 in Erbil, rent included.

An Najaf $854
Erbil $1,427

A family of three spends $1,143 per month in An Najaf vs $1,896 in Erbil, rent included.

An Najaf $1,143
Erbil $1,896

An Najaf is about 41% cheaper than Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both An Najaf and Erbil are more affordable than the global median – An Najaf 58% lower, Erbil 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 IQD 5,856

$6.42 IQD 9,704

-39.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.70 IQD 29.8K

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

-46.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.32 IQD 6,528

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

-41.70%

Cappuccino

$2.26 IQD 3,416

$3.24 IQD 4,889

-30.25%

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

$0.39 IQD 582

$0.89 IQD 1,341

-56.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$0.33 IQD 505

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 IQD 4,923

$5.75 IQD 8,681

-43.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 IQD 3,055

$3.92 IQD 5,921

-48.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 IQD 1,367

$1.07 IQD 1,611

-15.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,023

$0.67 IQD 1,019

1.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 IQD 1,972

$1.52 IQD 2,303

-13.82%

Eggs

$1.68 IQD 2,542

$1.60 IQD 2,413

5.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.28 IQD 4,951

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

-53.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 IQD 5,187

$4.38 IQD 6,614

-21.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.56 IQD 14.5K

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

-24.55%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 IQD 1,458

$0.94 IQD 1,415

3.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,375

$1.01 IQD 1,528

-9.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,425

$1.02 IQD 1,544

-7.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,029

$0.70 IQD 1,064

-2.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 841

$0.65 IQD 982

-13.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 919

$0.63 IQD 952

-3.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 877

$0.64 IQD 968

-9.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 IQD 743

$0.52 IQD 781

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 IQD 2,462

$2.19 IQD 3,303

-25.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.93 IQD 18.0K

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

10.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 IQD 2,919

$1.45 IQD 2,191

33.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 IQD 2,892

$1.79 IQD 2,712

6.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 IQD 462

$0.49 IQD 736

-36.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 IQD 1,974

$1.67 IQD 2,519

-21.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 IQD 1,975

$1.60 IQD 2,418

-18.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 IQD 8,132

$5.78 IQD 8,728

-6.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.41 IQD 625

$0.57 IQD 867

-28.07%

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

$12.1K IQD 18.4M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

-27.68%

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

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

-1.54%

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

$34.87 IQD 52.7K

$111 IQD 168.1K

-68.65%

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

$14.80 IQD 22.4K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

20.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.39 IQD 50.5K

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

35.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.35 IQD 38.3K

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

-55.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 IQD 12.7K

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

-12.36%

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

$147 IQD 222.0K

$294 IQD 443.8K

-49.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$797 IQD 1.2M

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

-70.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.04 IQD 22.7K

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

-43.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.28 IQD 35.2K

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

-39.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 IQD 91.2K

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

-1.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.51 IQD 62.7K

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

-30.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$234 IQD 353.4K

$426 IQD 643.6K

-45.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$125 IQD 188.4K

$271 IQD 410.0K

-54.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$311 IQD 469.6K

$699 IQD 1.1M

-55.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 IQD 286.0K

$404 IQD 610.4K

-53.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,097 IQD 1.7M

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

7.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$445 IQD 672.6K

$615 IQD 929.8K

-27.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$670 IQD 1.0M

$519 IQD 783.7K

29.25%

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 An Najaf: October 27, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

An Najaf

$149 26.4%

Erbil

$174 18.1% 16.2% $24

Accommodation & Living

An Najaf

$125 22.1%

Erbil

$271 28.3% 118% $147

Eating Out

An Najaf

$94 16.6%

Erbil

$154 16.1% 64% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

An Najaf

$83 14.7%

Erbil

$148 15.5% 78.3% $65

Clothing & Footwear

An Najaf

$63 11.2%

Erbil

$84 8.8% 32.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

An Najaf

$42 7.5%

Erbil

$76 8% 80.5% $34

Getting Around

An Najaf

$9.1 * 1.6%

Erbil

$51 5.3% 462% $42

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 $426 in Erbil. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 29% higher in An Najaf, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in An Najaf versus $37 in Erbil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $149 vs $174 – making An Najaf the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 An Najaf

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

Same time as An Najaf

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,221,248

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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An Najaf Erbil 470 km

From you

An Najaf
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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

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

Erbil costs about 69% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,437 in Erbil. 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 $426 in Erbil.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $565 in An Najaf and $958 in Erbil. That’s a gap of about 69%.

Kindergarten costs $147 per month in An Najaf and $294 in Erbil. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in An Najaf, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Erbil at $958. In An Najaf it covers expenses comfortably, while in Erbil it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward An Najaf – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.