Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Iraq

Name: Iraq
Address: IQ

For one person, living is cheaper in Iraq: $720 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Iraq
Learn more

Iraq Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Iraq

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

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Australia vs $720 in Iraq, rent included.

Australia $2,626
Iraq $720

A couple spends around $3,810 per month in Australia vs $1,090 in Iraq, rent included.

Australia $3,810
Iraq $1,090

A family of three spends $4,994 per month in Australia vs $1,460 in Iraq, rent included.

Australia $4,994
Iraq $1,460

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Iraq ($500–$1,048), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 265% higher than in Iraq on average.

Australia sits 93% above the global median, while Iraq is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 A$25.09

$3.87 IQD 5,843

356.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 A$121

$19.69 IQD 29.7K

332.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.77

$6.54 IQD 9,879

69.57%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.54

$2.43 IQD 3,673

60.49%

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

$2.85 A$4.05

$0.41 IQD 614

595.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.29

$0.17 IQD 262

1258.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.70

$3.39 IQD 5,119

122.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.59 A$12.21

$3.26 IQD 4,923

163.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.50

$1.01 IQD 1,520

74.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 A$3.99

$0.69 IQD 1,048

307.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.19

$1.38 IQD 2,083

62.32%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.14

$1.56 IQD 2,357

221.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.03

$4.06 IQD 6,133

143.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.25

$3.70 IQD 5,593

151.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.13

$11.26 IQD 17.0K

31.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 A$5.43

$0.92 IQD 1,396

315.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.16

$1.00 IQD 1,507

192.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.46

$0.89 IQD 1,343

251.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 A$6.84

$0.60 IQD 913

701.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$0.58 IQD 879

382.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$0.57 IQD 862

317.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.37

$0.53 IQD 801

347.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.35

$0.44 IQD 670

275.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.13 A$55.6

$1.69 IQD 2,555

2215.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.80

$10.22 IQD 15.4K

36.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.05

$1.65 IQD 2,498

200.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.35

$1.82 IQD 2,755

184.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$0.34 IQD 514

611.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$135

$19.96 IQD 30.1K

374.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.97

$2.03 IQD 3,067

71.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.47 IQD 2,219

8.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 A$56.7

$5.20 IQD 7,858

666.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.97

$0.56 IQD 852

148.21%

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

$30.0K A$42.7K

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

79.28%

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

$25.8K A$36.6K

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

54.75%

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

$205 A$292

$96.4 IQD 145.6K

112.68%

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

$28.33 A$40.29

$13.50 IQD 20.4K

109.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 A$83.6

$29.17 IQD 44.0K

101.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.1

$30.82 IQD 46.5K

80.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.57 A$27.83

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

19.26%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$21.86

$6.94 IQD 10.5K

121.61%

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

$2,145 A$3,050

$158 IQD 238.0K

1261.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.1K

$2,605 IQD 3.9M

604.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$19.03 IQD 28.7K

311.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 A$80.0

$23.52 IQD 35.5K

139.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$164

$52.2 IQD 78.8K

120.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$38.65 IQD 58.4K

218.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 A$2,262

$273 IQD 411.7K

483.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,838

$187 IQD 282.3K

591.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 A$3,589

$508 IQD 767.8K

396.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 A$2,851

$358 IQD 540.2K

460.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,751 A$12.4K

$1,491 IQD 2.3M

486.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,260 A$8,901

$685 IQD 1.0M

813.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 A$5,664

$492 IQD 743.4K

709.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

6.32

-6.17%

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

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Iraq: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 49.2%

Iraq

$187 26% 85.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$374 14.3%

Iraq

$153 21.3% 59.1% $221

Eating Out

Australia

$297 11.3%

Iraq

$106 14.7% 64.4% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$292 11.1%

Iraq

$139 19.3% 52.4% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$168 6.4%

Iraq

$60 8.3% 64.2% $108

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.4%

Iraq

$31 4.3% 73.5% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$86 3.3%

Iraq

$45 6.2% 48.3% $42

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,383 in Australia vs $225 in Iraq. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,749 in Canberra and $537 in Baghdad.

Average salary: $3,874 in Australia vs $491 in Iraq. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 515% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 282% more in Australia.

Public transport is 190% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 7.9 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇮🇶 Iraq

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

23:24 11:24 PM

8 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

38,274,618

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.631 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.631 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,510 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,683 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.94 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Iraq 13,270 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Iraq

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

Australia vs Iraq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iraq is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 73% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $225 in Iraq.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Iraq – part of why living there is about 73% cheaper overall.

Iraq is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.