Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ar Ramadi and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar Ramadi: $657 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Ar Ramadi
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Ar Ramadi Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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Ar Ramadi

🇮🇶 Iraq

$657

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $657 per month in Ar Ramadi vs $958 in Erbil, rent included.

Ar Ramadi $657
Erbil $958

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Ar Ramadi vs $1,427 in Erbil, rent included.

Ar Ramadi $1,037
Erbil $1,427

A family of three spends $1,416 per month in Ar Ramadi vs $1,896 in Erbil, rent included.

Ar Ramadi $1,416
Erbil $1,896

Ar Ramadi is about 31% cheaper than Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ar Ramadi and Erbil are more affordable than the global median – Ar Ramadi 52% lower, Erbil 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.74 IQD 7,156

$6.42 IQD 9,697

-26.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.71 IQD 34.3K

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

-37.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.52 IQD 8,329

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

-25.51%

Cappuccino

$2.65 IQD 4,005

$3.24 IQD 4,886

-18.21%

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

$0.32 IQD 478

$0.89 IQD 1,340

-64.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 297

$0.33 IQD 505

-39.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 IQD 4,913

$5.75 IQD 8,675

-43.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 IQD 4,323

$3.92 IQD 5,917

-27.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 IQD 1,552

$1.07 IQD 1,610

-3.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 IQD 1,190

$0.67 IQD 1,018

17.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 IQD 2,192

$1.52 IQD 2,301

-4.61%

Eggs

$1.55 IQD 2,338

$1.60 IQD 2,412

-3.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.97 IQD 6,001

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

-43.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 IQD 5,321

$4.38 IQD 6,610

-19.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.45 IQD 17.3K

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

-9.63%

Apples (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,447

$0.94 IQD 1,414

2.13%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 IQD 1,405

$1.01 IQD 1,527

-7.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,433

$1.02 IQD 1,543

-6.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 967

$0.70 IQD 1,063

-8.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 830

$0.65 IQD 981

-15.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 861

$0.63 IQD 951

-9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 IQD 935

$0.64 IQD 967

-3.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 IQD 754

$0.52 IQD 781

-3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.69 IQD 2,559

$2.19 IQD 3,301

-22.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.33 IQD 17.1K

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

4.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 IQD 2,273

$1.45 IQD 2,190

4.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 IQD 2,789

$1.79 IQD 2,710

3.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 488

$0.49 IQD 736

-34.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 IQD 2,497

$1.67 IQD 2,517

-1.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 IQD 1,701

$1.60 IQD 2,416

-29.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.08 IQD 9,184

$5.78 IQD 8,722

5.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 IQD 730

$0.57 IQD 866

-15.79%

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

$19.0K IQD 28.6M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

12.86%

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

$16.0K IQD 24.1M

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

-6.68%

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

$83.3 IQD 125.8K

$111 IQD 168.0K

-25.11%

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

$12.23 IQD 18.5K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

-0.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.20 IQD 41.1K

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

10.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.08 IQD 62.0K

$57.0 IQD 86.0K

-27.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.03 IQD 15.1K

$9.63 IQD 14.5K

4.15%

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

$149 IQD 225.1K

$294 IQD 443.5K

-49.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,779 IQD 4.2M

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

1.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.31 IQD 30.7K

$26.71 IQD 40.3K

-23.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.65 IQD 38.7K

$38.49 IQD 58.1K

-33.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.6 IQD 96.0K

$61.1 IQD 92.2K

4.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.71 IQD 63.0K

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

-30.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 IQD 351.5K

$426 IQD 643.2K

-45.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 IQD 196.2K

$271 IQD 409.8K

-52.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$375 IQD 566.3K

$699 IQD 1.1M

-46.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 IQD 464.9K

$404 IQD 610.0K

-23.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$807 IQD 1.2M

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

-20.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$483 IQD 729.7K

$615 IQD 929.2K

-21.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.2K

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 Ar Ramadi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ar Ramadi

$157 23.8%

Erbil

$174 18.1% 10.9% $17

Accommodation & Living

Ar Ramadi

$130 19.8%

Erbil

$271 28.3% 109% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ar Ramadi

$123 18.7%

Erbil

$148 15.5% 20.6% $25

Eating Out

Ar Ramadi

$110 16.8%

Erbil

$154 16.1% 39.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Ar Ramadi

$68 10.4%

Erbil

$84 8.8% 23.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Ar Ramadi

$61 9.3%

Erbil

$76 8% 24.6% $15

Getting Around

Ar Ramadi

$8.6 * 1.3%

Erbil

$51 5.3% 493% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $233 in Ar Ramadi 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Ar Ramadi versus $37 in Erbil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $157 vs $174 – making Ar Ramadi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Ar Ramadi

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

Same time as Ar Ramadi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,500

1,713,461

💱 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

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Ar Ramadi Erbil 310 km

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Ar Ramadi
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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

Ar Ramadi vs Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erbil costs about 46% more than Ar Ramadi, 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 $986 per month in Ar Ramadi 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 Ar Ramadi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $233 there versus $426 in Erbil.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $657 in Ar Ramadi and $958 in Erbil. That makes Ar Ramadi about 31% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $149 per month in Ar Ramadi 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 Ar Ramadi, where all-in costs run around $657, than in Erbil at $958. In Ar Ramadi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Erbil it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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