Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baghdad and Al Kufah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kufah: $703 a month against $1,048 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Al Kufah
Learn more

Al Kufah Living Index

Jump to prices

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,048

/mo nomad

Al Kufah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$703

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baghdad and in Al Kufah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,048 in Baghdad versus $703 in Al Kufah.

Baghdad $1,048
Al Kufah $703

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,508 in Baghdad versus $1,050 in Al Kufah.

Baghdad $1,508
Al Kufah $1,050

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,968 in Baghdad versus $1,397 in Al Kufah.

Baghdad $1,968
Al Kufah $1,397

Living in Baghdad is roughly 49% more expensive than in Al Kufah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baghdad 23% lower, Al Kufah 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.54 IQD 6,866

$4.74 IQD 7,162

-4.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.64 IQD 40.3K

$25.90 IQD 39.1K

2.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.47 IQD 9,781

$6.63 IQD 10.0K

-2.41%

Cappuccino

$2.68 IQD 4,054

$2.82 IQD 4,258

-4.96%

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

$0.39 IQD 584

$0.38 IQD 579

2.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 IQD 5,009

$3.21 IQD 4,844

3.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 IQD 4,866

$3.24 IQD 4,897

-0.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 IQD 1,390

$0.96 IQD 1,451

-4.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 IQD 1,078

$0.69 IQD 1,041

2.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,999

$1.32 IQD 1,989

Eggs

$1.71 IQD 2,577

$1.70 IQD 2,574

0.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.30 IQD 4,989

$2.02 IQD 3,046

63.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 IQD 6,269

$3.99 IQD 6,032

4.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$7.85 IQD 11.9K

55.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 IQD 1,513

$0.63 IQD 954

58.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,487

$0.96 IQD 1,449

2.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,440

$0.56 IQD 848

69.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,021

$0.49 IQD 736

38.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 877

$0.43 IQD 650

34.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 854

$0.33 IQD 499

72.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 903

$0.19 IQD 284

215.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 IQD 927

$0.51 IQD 776

19.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.67 IQD 2,531

$1.53 IQD 2,319

9.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

$11.59 IQD 17.5K

0.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 IQD 3,005

$2.00 IQD 3,017

-0.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,962

$1.97 IQD 2,972

-0.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 480

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.04 IQD 30.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 IQD 3,045

$1.95 IQD 2,954

3.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 IQD 1,964

$1.34 IQD 2,031

-2.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 IQD 10.1K

$6.52 IQD 9,849

2.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 870

$0.49 IQD 733

18.37%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$16.6K IQD 25.0M

-0.12%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

-0.57%

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

$188 IQD 284.5K

$188 IQD 283.3K

0.43%

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

$19.25 IQD 29.1K

$19.15 IQD 28.9K

0.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.51 IQD 56.7K

$19.76 IQD 29.9K

89.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.97 IQD 60.4K

$15.05 IQD 22.7K

165.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 IQD 27.8K

Cinema Ticket

$9.70 IQD 14.7K

$9.64 IQD 14.6K

0.62%

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

$145 IQD 219.6K

$69.3 IQD 104.8K

109.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,297 IQD 5.0M

$2,161 IQD 3.3M

52.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.60 IQD 38.7K

$10.13 IQD 15.3K

152.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.32 IQD 50.3K

$29.46 IQD 44.5K

13.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 IQD 90.9K

$20.07 IQD 30.3K

199.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.85 IQD 63.2K

$34.57 IQD 52.2K

21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 IQD 811.6K

$208 IQD 313.5K

158.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 IQD 550.5K

$135 IQD 204.6K

169.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 IQD 1.5M

$371 IQD 561.3K

159.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 IQD 943.1K

$309 IQD 466.6K

102.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,276 IQD 6.5M

$1,244 IQD 1.9M

243.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,379 IQD 2.1M

$495 IQD 748.2K

178.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$518 IQD 782.8K

$902 IQD 1.4M

-42.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

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

Last update for Baghdad: October 24, 2026

Last update for Al Kufah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baghdad

$364 34.8%

Al Kufah

$135 19.3% 62.8% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baghdad

$245 23.4%

Al Kufah

$226 32.2% 7.6% $19

Groceries & Markets

Baghdad

$164 15.6%

Al Kufah

$138 19.6% 15.9% $26

Eating Out

Baghdad

$113 10.8%

Al Kufah

$116 16.6% 2.8% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Baghdad

$72 6.9%

Al Kufah

$42 6% 41.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Baghdad

$59 5.7%

Al Kufah

$34 4.9% 42.2% $25

Getting Around

Baghdad

$30 2.9%

Al Kufah

$10 * 1.4% 66.6% $20

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 $537 in Baghdad and $208 in Al Kufah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Kufah pays 74% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $27 in Baghdad vs $26 in Al Kufah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $138 per month, with Al Kufah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🇮🇶 Al Kufah

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

Same time as Baghdad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,216,040 Capital

230,000

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Baghdad Al Kufah 140 km

From you

Baghdad
Al Kufah

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

Baghdad vs Al Kufah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Kufah is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Baghdad. 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: $537 in Baghdad versus $208 in Al Kufah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Baghdad. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,048 per month in Baghdad versus $703 in Al Kufah – Al Kufah is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $703 in Al Kufah versus $1,048 in Baghdad, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Kufah but tight or insufficient in Baghdad. The gap between the two cities makes Al Kufah 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.