Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Duhok

For one person, living is cheaper in Duhok: $602 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Duhok
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Duhok Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Duhok

🇮🇶 Iraq

$602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Duhok

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Duhok actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $602 in Duhok.

Austin, TX $2,663
Duhok $602

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $968 in Duhok.

Austin, TX $4,133
Duhok $968

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,334 in Duhok.

Austin, TX $5,603
Duhok $1,334

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 342% more expensive than in Duhok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Duhok is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.35 IQD 5,069

520.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$16.55 IQD 25.0K

411.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

75.00%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.32 IQD 3,511

142.67%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.34 IQD 517

994.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.15 IQD 229

1566.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.61 IQD 2,430

400.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.94 IQD 2,930

364.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.11 IQD 1,680

0.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.67 IQD 1,017

459.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.50 IQD 2,262

117.33%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.58 IQD 2,385

163.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$5.03 IQD 7,594

156.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$2.95 IQD 4,460

380.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

49.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$0.96 IQD 1,453

351.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.00 IQD 1,506

46.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$0.73 IQD 1,109

517.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$0.68 IQD 1,028

538.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.59 IQD 894

337.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.63 IQD 948

273.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.61 IQD 926

191.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.48 IQD 719

362.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$1.74 IQD 2,630

467.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.58 IQD 16.0K

42.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.46 IQD 2,200

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.82 IQD 2,749

90.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.32 IQD 486

365.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$15.69 IQD 23.7K

165.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.69 IQD 2,555

61.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.28 IQD 1,930

29.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$5.62 IQD 8,491

528.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.59 IQD 884

61.02%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

118.47%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$17.0K IQD 25.7M

59.37%

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

$229 $229

$85.5 IQD 129.1K

167.92%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$8.81 IQD 13.3K

574.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$24.12 IQD 36.4K

189.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$49.83 IQD 75.3K

14.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$26.66 IQD 40.3K

-38.75%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.55 IQD 11.4K

89.14%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$108 IQD 163.9K

1288.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$2,793 IQD 4.2M

668.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$10.25 IQD 15.5K

415.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$19.62 IQD 29.6K

123.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$29.73 IQD 44.9K

185.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$19.93 IQD 30.1K

416.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$161 IQD 243.5K

1083.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$115 IQD 174.0K

1006.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$329 IQD 497.2K

1013.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$318 IQD 480.4K

698.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$430 IQD 649.7K

1670.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$362 IQD 547.5K

771.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$421 IQD 635.5K

1117.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.53

168.38%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Duhok: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Duhok

$115 19.1% 91% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Duhok

$153 25.4% 62.2% $252

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Duhok

$118 19.7% 67% $240

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Duhok

$90 14.9% 74.6% $264

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Duhok

$36 6% 72% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Duhok

$65 10.8% 24.3% $21

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Duhok

$25 4.2% 57.3% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $161 in Duhok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1118% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $17.00 in Duhok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $153 per month, with Duhok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇶 Duhok

🕒 Local time

13:09 1:09 PM

21:09 9:09 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

340,900

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

IQD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Duhok 11,500 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Duhok

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

Austin, TX vs Duhok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Duhok wins on cost – living expenses run 342% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Duhok the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1118% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $161 in Duhok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $602 in Duhok – a 342% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Duhok runs roughly 166% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $602 in Duhok versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Duhok but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Duhok the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Austin, TX and Duhok 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 Duhok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 342% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.