Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ba'qubah and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Ba’qubah: $511 a month against $664 in Basra, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Basra despite lower rent and utilities.

25

Cost of Living Index in Ba'qubah
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Ba'qubah Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
Learn more

Basra Living Index

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Ba'qubah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$511

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Basra actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $511 in Ba’qubah versus $664 in Basra.

Ba'qubah $511
Basra $664

Estimated couple costs with rent: $819 in Ba’qubah versus $1,194 in Basra.

Ba'qubah $819
Basra $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,128 in Ba’qubah versus $1,725 in Basra.

Ba'qubah $1,128
Basra $1,725

Living in Ba’qubah costs roughly 23% less than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ba’qubah 62% lower, Basra 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.16 IQD 6,289

$3.88 IQD 5,859

7.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.19 IQD 19.9K

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

-50.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.46 IQD 8,250

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

-18.51%

Cappuccino

$1.03 IQD 1,555

$2.29 IQD 3,462

-55.02%

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

$0.48 IQD 726

$0.38 IQD 568

26.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 IQD 246

$0.30 IQD 458

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 IQD 2,421

$3.28 IQD 4,951

-51.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 IQD 6,101

$3.67 IQD 5,541

10.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 IQD 1,432

$0.99 IQD 1,502

-4.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 IQD 780

$0.61 IQD 920

-14.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,438

$1.21 IQD 1,833

-21.49%

Eggs

$1.24 IQD 1,873

$1.60 IQD 2,417

-22.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.96 IQD 2,966

$6.32 IQD 9,552

-68.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.11 IQD 3,183

$5.40 IQD 8,161

-60.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

-25.41%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 IQD 1,310

$0.84 IQD 1,265

3.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,456

$1.18 IQD 1,784

-18.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 IQD 1,237

$0.85 IQD 1,285

-3.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 737

$0.55 IQD 834

-10.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 IQD 791

$0.64 IQD 960

-18.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 901

$0.54 IQD 813

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 IQD 649

$0.80 IQD 1,211

-46.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 IQD 287

$0.34 IQD 512

-44.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.13 IQD 3,216

$1.80 IQD 2,725

18.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 IQD 16.5K

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

-2.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 IQD 2,153

$1.58 IQD 2,383

-10.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 IQD 2,782

$1.82 IQD 2,755

1.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 477

$0.52 IQD 789

-38.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 IQD 2,550

$1.93 IQD 2,923

-12.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 IQD 2,358

$1.95 IQD 2,948

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 IQD 6,926

$6.34 IQD 9,576

-27.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.29 IQD 431

$0.56 IQD 841

-48.21%

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

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

44.05%

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

$17.2K IQD 26.0M

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

-12.30%

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

$50.2 IQD 75.9K

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

14.39%

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

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

-45.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.87 IQD 34.6K

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

-31.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.35 IQD 24.7K

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

-48.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$3.38 IQD 5,107

$6.56 IQD 9,906

-48.48%

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

$23.01 IQD 34.8K

$109 IQD 165.2K

-78.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$550 IQD 831.0K

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

-83.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.83 IQD 25.4K

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

-61.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.36 IQD 24.7K

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

-5.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

-13.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.44 IQD 35.4K

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

-34.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$205 IQD 309.3K

$405 IQD 611.7K

-49.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 IQD 206.9K

$138 IQD 208.3K

-0.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$381 IQD 576.1K

$369 IQD 558.1K

3.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 IQD 525.6K

$548 IQD 828.2K

-36.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$860 IQD 1.3M

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

-38.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$489 IQD 738.4K

$707 IQD 1.1M

-30.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 IQD 946.4K

$667 IQD 1.0M

-6.05%

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 Basra: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ba'qubah

$137 26.8%

Basra

$138 20.8% 0.7% $1

Groceries & Markets

Ba'qubah

$122 23.9%

Basra

$171 25.8% 40.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ba'qubah

$85 16.7%

Basra

$100 15% 17.1% $15

Eating Out

Ba'qubah

$81 15.8%

Basra

$105 15.8% 30.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Ba'qubah

$52 10.2%

Basra

$74 11.2% 42.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Ba'qubah

$23 4.5%

Basra

$45 6.8% 94.5% $22

Getting Around

Ba'qubah

$11 * 2.1%

Basra

$30 4.6% 181% $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 $405 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basra pays 6% 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: $13 in Ba’qubah vs $27 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $122 vs $171 per month, with Ba’qubah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Ba'qubah

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

Same time as Ba'qubah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

268,866

2,150,000

💱 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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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 Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ba’qubah is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Ba’qubah. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $205 in Ba’qubah versus $405 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $23 in Ba’qubah versus $109 in Basra. 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 Basra. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Ba’qubah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Ba’qubah wins on affordability, Basra on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.