Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between 'aqrah and Basra

For one person, living costs are similar in 'aqrah and in Basra: $661 and $652 a month, rent and utilities included.

32

Cost of Living Index in 'aqrah
Learn more

'aqrah Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
Learn more

Basra Living Index

Jump to prices

'aqrah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$661

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$652

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $661 in 'aqrah versus $652 in Basra.

'aqrah $661
Basra $652

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,015 in 'aqrah versus $1,179 in Basra.

'aqrah $1,015
Basra $1,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,369 in 'aqrah versus $1,706 in Basra.

'aqrah $1,369
Basra $1,706

Living in 'aqrah is roughly 1% more expensive than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: 'aqrah 51% lower, Basra 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.62 IQD 5,467

$4.06 IQD 6,134

-10.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.82 IQD 33.0K

$26.00 IQD 39.3K

-16.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 IQD 10.3K

$6.42 IQD 9,706

6.23%

Cappuccino

$2.38 IQD 3,602

$2.21 IQD 3,342

7.69%

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

$0.32 IQD 485

$0.36 IQD 551

-11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 IQD 273

$0.30 IQD 455

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.11 IQD 4,706

$3.21 IQD 4,849

-3.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 IQD 3,945

$3.57 IQD 5,394

-26.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 IQD 1,416

$0.97 IQD 1,460

-3.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 IQD 1,086

$0.56 IQD 841

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 IQD 2,205

$1.25 IQD 1,895

16.80%

Eggs

$1.70 IQD 2,573

$1.62 IQD 2,442

4.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.48 IQD 5,252

$6.28 IQD 9,486

-44.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 IQD 6,291

$5.33 IQD 8,061

-21.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.31 IQD 20.1K

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

9.82%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 IQD 1,383

$0.90 IQD 1,356

2.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,375

$1.18 IQD 1,787

-22.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.77 IQD 1,161

$0.84 IQD 1,266

-8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 IQD 990

$0.60 IQD 904

10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 809

$0.69 IQD 1,044

-21.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 965

$0.53 IQD 802

20.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 IQD 776

$0.77 IQD 1,160

-33.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 IQD 756

$0.36 IQD 546

38.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.57 IQD 2,368

$1.79 IQD 2,705

-12.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 IQD 16.5K

$10.93 IQD 16.5K

-0.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 IQD 2,003

$1.46 IQD 2,204

-8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 IQD 2,800

$1.73 IQD 2,617

6.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 IQD 679

$0.50 IQD 756

-10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.50 IQD 26.4K

$16.76 IQD 25.3K

4.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 IQD 2,859

$1.95 IQD 2,946

-3.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 IQD 2,099

$1.94 IQD 2,930

-28.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 IQD 7,788

$6.35 IQD 9,594

-18.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 IQD 727

$0.56 IQD 849

-14.29%

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

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

43.91%

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

$19.4K IQD 29.3M

$19.5K IQD 29.5M

-0.64%

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

$80.2 IQD 121.1K

$44.55 IQD 67.3K

79.91%

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

$13.58 IQD 20.5K

$22.24 IQD 33.6K

-38.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.25 IQD 41.2K

$33.88 IQD 51.2K

-19.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.01 IQD 55.9K

$30.91 IQD 46.7K

19.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.94 IQD 18.0K

Cinema Ticket

$8.39 IQD 12.7K

$6.55 IQD 9,898

28.09%

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

$142 IQD 213.9K

$109 IQD 164.7K

29.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,656 IQD 4.0M

$3,250 IQD 4.9M

-18.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.08 IQD 33.4K

$43.34 IQD 65.5K

-49.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.85 IQD 36.0K

$17.27 IQD 26.1K

38.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.26 IQD 71.4K

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

-29.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.06 IQD 46.9K

$35.95 IQD 54.3K

-13.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$184 IQD 277.8K

$409 IQD 617.4K

-55.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$141 IQD 213.2K

$129 IQD 195.6K

8.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 IQD 541.4K

$748 IQD 1.1M

-52.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 IQD 419.4K

$539 IQD 814.7K

-48.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$779 IQD 1.2M

$1,363 IQD 2.1M

-42.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$642 IQD 970.8K

$688 IQD 1.0M

-6.64%

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 'aqrah: October 13, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

'aqrah

$160 24.2%

Basra

$170 26% 6.1% $9.8

Accommodation & Living

'aqrah

$141 21.4%

Basra

$129 19.9% 8.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

'aqrah

$121 18.3%

Basra

$101 15.4% 16.8% $20

Eating Out

'aqrah

$101 15.3%

Basra

$104 16% 3.3% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

'aqrah

$56 8.5%

Basra

$74 11.3% 31.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

'aqrah

$54 8.1%

Basra

$44 6.8% 18.2% $9.8

Getting Around

'aqrah

$28 4.3%

Basra

$30 4.7% 8.1% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $184 in 'aqrah and $409 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in 'aqrah vs $26.00 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $160 vs $170 per month, with 'aqrah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 'aqrah

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

Same time as 'aqrah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,100

2,150,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.88 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

'aqrah Basra 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

'aqrah
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

'aqrah vs Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basra wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in 'aqrah. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Basra the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $991 in 'aqrah 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: $184 in 'aqrah versus $409 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $661 per month in 'aqrah versus $652 in Basra – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Basra runs roughly 4% less than in 'aqrah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Basra 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, 'aqrah and Basra 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 Basra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in 'aqrah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.