Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ba'qubah and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ba’qubah: $511 a month against $663 in Sulaymaniyah, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

25

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

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Ba'qubah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$511

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $511 in Ba’qubah versus $663 in Sulaymaniyah.

Ba'qubah $511
Sulaymaniyah $663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $819 in Ba’qubah versus $1,034 in Sulaymaniyah.

Ba'qubah $819
Sulaymaniyah $1,034

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,128 in Ba’qubah versus $1,406 in Sulaymaniyah.

Ba'qubah $1,128
Sulaymaniyah $1,406

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.16 IQD 6,289

$4.21 IQD 6,363

-1.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.19 IQD 19.9K

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

-33.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.46 IQD 8,250

$5.90 IQD 8,916

-7.46%

Cappuccino

$1.03 IQD 1,555

$2.45 IQD 3,702

-57.96%

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

$0.48 IQD 726

$0.43 IQD 650

11.63%

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

$3.22 IQD 4,873

-50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 IQD 6,101

$2.04 IQD 3,080

98.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 IQD 1,432

$1.11 IQD 1,677

-14.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 IQD 780

$0.89 IQD 1,339

-41.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,438

$1.66 IQD 2,516

-42.77%

Eggs

$1.24 IQD 1,873

$1.55 IQD 2,345

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.96 IQD 2,966

$4.31 IQD 6,509

-54.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.11 IQD 3,183

$3.66 IQD 5,536

-42.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

-31.88%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 IQD 1,310

$1.11 IQD 1,680

-21.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,456

$1.09 IQD 1,646

-11.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 IQD 1,237

$1.04 IQD 1,579

-21.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 737

$0.56 IQD 843

-12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 IQD 791

$0.49 IQD 740

6.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 901

$0.63 IQD 957

-4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 IQD 649

$0.58 IQD 883

-25.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 IQD 287

$0.45 IQD 685

-57.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.13 IQD 3,216

$2.02 IQD 3,049

5.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 IQD 16.5K

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

11.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 IQD 2,153

$1.66 IQD 2,509

-14.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 IQD 2,782

$1.25 IQD 1,896

47.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 477

$0.52 IQD 786

-38.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 IQD 2,550

$1.92 IQD 2,904

-11.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 IQD 2,358

$1.96 IQD 2,961

-20.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 IQD 6,926

$4.48 IQD 6,774

2.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.29 IQD 431

$0.57 IQD 865

-49.12%

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

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

-6.32%

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

$17.2K IQD 26.0M

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

1.57%

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

$50.2 IQD 75.9K

$85.2 IQD 128.7K

-41.01%

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

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

$10.12 IQD 15.3K

19.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.87 IQD 34.6K

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

-4.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.35 IQD 24.7K

$33.78 IQD 51.0K

-51.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 IQD 27.1K

Cinema Ticket

$3.38 IQD 5,107

$6.56 IQD 9,916

-48.48%

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

$23.01 IQD 34.8K

$153 IQD 231.1K

-84.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$550 IQD 831.0K

$2,546 IQD 3.8M

-78.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.83 IQD 25.4K

$16.75 IQD 25.3K

0.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.36 IQD 24.7K

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

-26.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

$36.83 IQD 55.7K

61.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.44 IQD 35.4K

$33.01 IQD 49.9K

-28.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$205 IQD 309.3K

$187 IQD 282.6K

9.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 IQD 206.9K

$147 IQD 221.9K

-6.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$381 IQD 576.1K

$419 IQD 632.8K

-8.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 IQD 525.6K

$314 IQD 474.4K

10.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$860 IQD 1.3M

$695 IQD 1.1M

23.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$489 IQD 738.4K

$548 IQD 828.2K

-10.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 IQD 946.4K

$501 IQD 757.3K

24.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

5.77

-56.15%

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

Last update for Ba'qubah: October 24, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ba'qubah

$137 26.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$147 22.2% 7.3% $10

Groceries & Markets

Ba'qubah

$122 23.9%

Sulaymaniyah

$164 24.7% 34.1% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ba'qubah

$85 16.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$119 18% 40.1% $34

Eating Out

Ba'qubah

$81 15.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6% 28.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Ba'qubah

$52 10.2%

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4% 6.2% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Ba'qubah

$23 4.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1% 103% $24

Getting Around

Ba'qubah

$11 * 2.1%

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5.1% 212% $23

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 $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ba’qubah pays 25% 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 $20 in Sulaymaniyah 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

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

Same time as Ba'qubah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

268,866

823,199

💱 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 Sulaymaniyah 210 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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ba’qubah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 25% 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 $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $23 in Ba’qubah versus $153 in Sulaymaniyah. 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 $20 in Sulaymaniyah. 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.