Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ba'qubah and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Ba’qubah: $511 a month against $1,048 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Ba'qubah
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Ba'qubah Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index

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Ba'qubah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$511

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ba'qubah and in Baghdad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $511 in Ba’qubah versus $1,048 in Baghdad.

Ba'qubah $511
Baghdad $1,048

Estimated couple costs with rent: $819 in Ba’qubah versus $1,508 in Baghdad.

Ba'qubah $819
Baghdad $1,508

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,128 in Ba’qubah versus $1,968 in Baghdad.

Ba'qubah $1,128
Baghdad $1,968

Living in Ba’qubah costs roughly 51% less than in Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ba’qubah 62% lower, Baghdad 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.16 IQD 6,289

$4.54 IQD 6,866

-8.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.19 IQD 19.9K

$26.64 IQD 40.3K

-50.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.46 IQD 8,250

$6.47 IQD 9,781

-15.61%

Cappuccino

$1.03 IQD 1,555

$2.68 IQD 4,054

-61.57%

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

$0.48 IQD 726

$0.39 IQD 584

23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 IQD 246

$0.20 IQD 302

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 IQD 2,421

$3.31 IQD 5,009

-51.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 IQD 6,101

$3.22 IQD 4,866

25.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 IQD 1,432

$0.92 IQD 1,390

3.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 IQD 780

$0.71 IQD 1,078

-26.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,438

$1.32 IQD 1,999

-28.03%

Eggs

$1.24 IQD 1,873

$1.71 IQD 2,577

-27.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.96 IQD 2,966

$3.30 IQD 4,989

-40.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.11 IQD 3,183

$4.15 IQD 6,269

-49.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

-26.14%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 IQD 1,310

$1.00 IQD 1,513

-13.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,456

$0.98 IQD 1,487

-2.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 IQD 1,237

$0.95 IQD 1,440

-13.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 737

$0.68 IQD 1,021

-27.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 IQD 791

$0.58 IQD 877

-10.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 901

$0.57 IQD 854

5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 IQD 649

$0.60 IQD 903

-28.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 IQD 287

$0.61 IQD 927

-68.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.13 IQD 3,216

$1.67 IQD 2,531

27.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 IQD 16.5K

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

-6.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 IQD 2,153

$1.99 IQD 3,005

-28.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 IQD 2,782

$1.96 IQD 2,962

-6.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 477

$0.32 IQD 480

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.04 IQD 30.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 IQD 2,550

$2.02 IQD 3,045

-16.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 IQD 2,358

$1.30 IQD 1,964

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 IQD 6,926

$6.67 IQD 10.1K

-31.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.29 IQD 431

$0.58 IQD 870

-50.00%

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

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

-0.42%

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

$17.2K IQD 26.0M

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

3.13%

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

$50.2 IQD 75.9K

$188 IQD 284.5K

-73.32%

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

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

$19.25 IQD 29.1K

-37.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.87 IQD 34.6K

$37.51 IQD 56.7K

-39.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.35 IQD 24.7K

$39.97 IQD 60.4K

-59.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 IQD 27.8K

Cinema Ticket

$3.38 IQD 5,107

$9.70 IQD 14.7K

-65.15%

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

$23.01 IQD 34.8K

$145 IQD 219.6K

-84.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$550 IQD 831.0K

$3,297 IQD 5.0M

-83.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.83 IQD 25.4K

$25.60 IQD 38.7K

-34.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.36 IQD 24.7K

$33.32 IQD 50.3K

-50.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

$60.2 IQD 90.9K

-1.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.44 IQD 35.4K

$41.85 IQD 63.2K

-43.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$205 IQD 309.3K

$537 IQD 811.6K

-61.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 IQD 206.9K

$364 IQD 550.5K

-62.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$381 IQD 576.1K

$963 IQD 1.5M

-60.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 IQD 525.6K

$624 IQD 943.1K

-44.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$860 IQD 1.3M

$4,276 IQD 6.5M

-79.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$489 IQD 738.4K

$1,379 IQD 2.1M

-64.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 IQD 946.4K

$518 IQD 782.8K

20.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

4.12

-38.59%

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

Last update for Ba'qubah: October 24, 2026

Last update for Baghdad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ba'qubah

$137 26.8%

Baghdad

$364 34.8% 166% $227

Groceries & Markets

Ba'qubah

$122 23.9%

Baghdad

$164 15.6% 34% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ba'qubah

$85 16.7%

Baghdad

$245 23.4% 188% $160

Eating Out

Ba'qubah

$81 15.8%

Baghdad

$113 10.8% 40.5% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Ba'qubah

$52 10.2%

Baghdad

$72 6.9% 38.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Ba'qubah

$23 4.5%

Baghdad

$59 5.7% 157% $36

Getting Around

Ba'qubah

$11 * 2.1%

Baghdad

$30 2.9% 178% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $205 in Ba’qubah and $537 in Baghdad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ba’qubah pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $13 in Ba’qubah vs $27 in Baghdad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $122 vs $164 per month, with Ba’qubah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Ba'qubah

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

Same time as Ba'qubah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

268,866

7,216,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Ba'qubah Baghdad 54 km

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Ba'qubah
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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

Ba'qubah vs Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ba’qubah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. The 105% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Ba’qubah, 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: $205 in Ba’qubah versus $537 in Baghdad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $23 in Ba’qubah versus $145 in Baghdad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ba’qubah – a meal for two runs $13 versus $27 in Baghdad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $511 in Ba’qubah versus $1,048 in Baghdad, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ba’qubah but tight or insufficient in Baghdad. The gap between the two cities makes Ba’qubah 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.