Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $1,096 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,096

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,096 in Erbil.

Austin, TX $2,704
Erbil $1,096

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,634 in Erbil.

Austin, TX $4,133
Erbil $1,634

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,173 in Erbil.

Austin, TX $5,562
Erbil $2,173

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 147% more expensive than in Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Erbil is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$7.75 IQD 11.7K

160.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$42.93 IQD 64.9K

98.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$8.55 IQD 12.9K

44.44%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.92 IQD 5,918

39.54%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.98 IQD 1,476

289.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.42 IQD 635

495.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$6.10 IQD 9,213

32.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.68 IQD 7,074

92.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.23 IQD 1,866

-8.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.82 IQD 1,244

360.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.74 IQD 2,626

86.78%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.80 IQD 2,716

130.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$8.03 IQD 12.1K

62.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$4.96 IQD 7,488

188.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$14.57 IQD 22.0K

9.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.09 IQD 1,642

301.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.11 IQD 1,679

30.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.23 IQD 1,860

269.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$0.76 IQD 1,151

451.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.73 IQD 1,104

260.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.73 IQD 1,100

223.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.69 IQD 1,050

155.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.60 IQD 903

260.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$2.44 IQD 3,683

302.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$12.42 IQD 18.8K

18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.62 IQD 2,449

71.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.16 IQD 3,270

61.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.59 IQD 896

152.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$42.79 IQD 64.7K

-5.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.94 IQD 2,934

37.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.78 IQD 2,686

-11.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$6.34 IQD 9,572

456.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.68 IQD 1,029

45.59%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$17.7K IQD 26.7M

102.83%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$20.3K IQD 30.6M

34.14%

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

$219 $219

$131 IQD 197.2K

68.01%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$13.79 IQD 20.8K

320.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$27.61 IQD 41.7K

147.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$65.3 IQD 98.7K

-11.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$14.26 IQD 21.6K

3.93%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$11.35 IQD 17.2K

24.49%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$326 IQD 493.1K

362.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$3,186 IQD 4.8M

573.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$31.25 IQD 47.2K

65.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$44.50 IQD 67.2K

-1.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

23.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$69.0 IQD 104.3K

52.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$463 IQD 700.1K

317.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$293 IQD 442.5K

334.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$725 IQD 1.1M

406.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$439 IQD 662.8K

475.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$1,110 IQD 1.7M

586.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$645 IQD 975.2K

395.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$590 IQD 891.2K

765.50%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Erbil

$293 27% 77% $980

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Erbil

$199 18.4% 50.6% $204

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Erbil

$180 16.6% 48.3% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Erbil

$172 15.9% 50.3% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Erbil

$96 8.9% 25.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Erbil

$88 8.1% 2.2% $1.9

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Erbil

$56 5.2% 1.8% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $463 in Erbil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 766% 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 $43.00 in Erbil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $199 per month, with Erbil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

08:05 8:05 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,713,461

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,695 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

IQD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Erbil 11,620 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Erbil

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 Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erbil wins on cost – living expenses run 147% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Erbil the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 766% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $463 in Erbil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,096 in Erbil – a 147% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Erbil runs roughly 6% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,096 in Erbil versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Erbil but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Erbil 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 Erbil 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 Erbil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 147% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.