Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ba'qubah and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Ba’qubah: $511 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Ba'qubah
Learn more

Ba'qubah Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
Learn more

Erbil Living Index

Jump to prices

Ba'qubah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$511

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $511 in Ba’qubah versus $958 in Erbil.

Ba'qubah $511
Erbil $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $819 in Ba’qubah versus $1,427 in Erbil.

Ba'qubah $819
Erbil $1,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,128 in Ba’qubah versus $1,896 in Erbil.

Ba'qubah $1,128
Erbil $1,896

Living in Ba’qubah costs roughly 47% less than in Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ba’qubah 62% lower, Erbil 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.16 IQD 6,289

$6.42 IQD 9,704

-35.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.19 IQD 19.9K

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

-63.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.46 IQD 8,250

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

-26.32%

Cappuccino

$1.03 IQD 1,555

$3.24 IQD 4,889

-68.21%

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

$0.48 IQD 726

$0.89 IQD 1,341

-46.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 IQD 246

$0.33 IQD 505

-51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 IQD 2,421

$5.75 IQD 8,681

-72.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 IQD 6,101

$3.92 IQD 5,921

3.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 IQD 1,432

$1.07 IQD 1,611

-11.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 IQD 780

$0.67 IQD 1,019

-22.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,438

$1.52 IQD 2,303

-37.50%

Eggs

$1.24 IQD 1,873

$1.60 IQD 2,413

-22.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.96 IQD 2,966

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

-72.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.11 IQD 3,183

$4.38 IQD 6,614

-51.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

-28.65%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 IQD 1,310

$0.94 IQD 1,415

-7.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,456

$1.01 IQD 1,528

-4.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 IQD 1,237

$1.02 IQD 1,544

-19.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 737

$0.70 IQD 1,064

-30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 IQD 791

$0.65 IQD 982

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 901

$0.63 IQD 952

-4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 IQD 649

$0.64 IQD 968

-32.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 IQD 287

$0.52 IQD 781

-63.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.13 IQD 3,216

$2.19 IQD 3,303

-2.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 IQD 16.5K

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

0.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 IQD 2,153

$1.45 IQD 2,191

-2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 IQD 2,782

$1.79 IQD 2,712

2.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 477

$0.49 IQD 736

-34.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 IQD 2,550

$1.67 IQD 2,519

1.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 IQD 2,358

$1.60 IQD 2,418

-2.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 IQD 6,926

$5.78 IQD 8,728

-20.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.29 IQD 431

$0.57 IQD 867

-49.12%

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

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

-1.96%

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

$17.2K IQD 26.0M

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

0.54%

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

$50.2 IQD 75.9K

$111 IQD 168.1K

-54.84%

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

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

-1.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.87 IQD 34.6K

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

-7.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.35 IQD 24.7K

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

-71.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$3.38 IQD 5,107

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

-64.90%

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

$23.01 IQD 34.8K

$294 IQD 443.8K

-92.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$550 IQD 831.0K

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

-79.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.83 IQD 25.4K

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

-36.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.36 IQD 24.7K

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

-57.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

-2.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.44 IQD 35.4K

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

-60.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$205 IQD 309.3K

$426 IQD 643.6K

-51.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 IQD 206.9K

$271 IQD 410.0K

-49.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$381 IQD 576.1K

$699 IQD 1.1M

-45.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 IQD 525.6K

$404 IQD 610.4K

-13.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$860 IQD 1.3M

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

-15.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$489 IQD 738.4K

$615 IQD 929.8K

-20.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 IQD 946.4K

$519 IQD 783.7K

20.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

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

Last update for Ba'qubah: October 24, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ba'qubah

$137 26.8%

Erbil

$271 28.3% 98.2% $134

Groceries & Markets

Ba'qubah

$122 23.9%

Erbil

$174 18.1% 42.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ba'qubah

$85 16.7%

Erbil

$148 15.5% 73.8% $63

Eating Out

Ba'qubah

$81 15.8%

Erbil

$154 16.1% 90.7% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Ba'qubah

$52 10.2%

Erbil

$84 8.8% 60.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ba'qubah

$23 4.5%

Erbil

$76 8% 230% $53

Getting Around

Ba'qubah

$11 * 2.1%

Erbil

$51 5.3% 374% $40

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 $426 in Erbil. 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 $37 in Erbil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $122 vs $174 per month, with Ba’qubah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Ba'qubah

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

18:11 6:11 PM

Same time as Ba'qubah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

268,866

1,713,461

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ba'qubah Erbil 280 km

From you

Ba'qubah
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

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

Ba’qubah is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and groceries. The 87% 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 $426 in Erbil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $23 in Ba’qubah versus $294 in Erbil. 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 $37 in Erbil. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.