Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baghdad and Al-musayyib

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-musayyib: $768 a month against $1,048 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Al-musayyib
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Al-musayyib Living Index

Jump to prices

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,048

/mo nomad

Al-musayyib

🇮🇶 Iraq

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baghdad and in Al-musayyib

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,048 in Baghdad versus $768 in Al-musayyib.

Baghdad $1,048
Al-musayyib $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,508 in Baghdad versus $1,152 in Al-musayyib.

Baghdad $1,508
Al-musayyib $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,968 in Baghdad versus $1,536 in Al-musayyib.

Baghdad $1,968
Al-musayyib $1,536

Living in Baghdad is roughly 36% more expensive than in Al-musayyib, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baghdad 23% lower, Al-musayyib 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.54 IQD 6,866

$4.50 IQD 6,793

0.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.64 IQD 40.3K

$25.91 IQD 39.1K

2.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.47 IQD 9,781

$6.43 IQD 9,721

0.62%

Cappuccino

$2.68 IQD 4,054

$2.82 IQD 4,267

-4.96%

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

$0.39 IQD 584

$0.38 IQD 576

2.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.22 IQD 332

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 IQD 5,009

$3.33 IQD 5,026

-0.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 IQD 4,866

$3.25 IQD 4,904

-0.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 IQD 1,390

$0.90 IQD 1,359

2.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 IQD 1,078

$0.67 IQD 1,019

5.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,999

$1.30 IQD 1,971

1.54%

Eggs

$1.71 IQD 2,577

$1.29 IQD 1,951

32.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.30 IQD 4,989

$3.42 IQD 5,163

-3.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 IQD 6,269

$3.28 IQD 4,962

26.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$10.03 IQD 15.1K

22.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 IQD 1,513

$1.02 IQD 1,540

-1.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,487

$0.90 IQD 1,357

8.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,440

$0.94 IQD 1,415

1.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,021

$0.48 IQD 721

41.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 877

$0.54 IQD 817

7.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 854

$0.48 IQD 732

18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 903

$0.48 IQD 730

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 IQD 927

$0.34 IQD 518

79.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.67 IQD 2,531

$1.68 IQD 2,531

-0.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

$11.98 IQD 18.1K

-2.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 IQD 3,005

$1.89 IQD 2,862

5.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,962

$1.87 IQD 2,831

4.81%

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

$2.01 IQD 3,043

0.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 IQD 1,964

$1.30 IQD 1,961

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 IQD 10.1K

$6.75 IQD 10.2K

-1.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 870

$0.55 IQD 825

5.45%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

0.05%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

1.00%

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

$188 IQD 284.5K

$187 IQD 282.9K

0.59%

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

$19.25 IQD 29.1K

$19.82 IQD 30.0K

-2.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.51 IQD 56.7K

$38.37 IQD 58.0K

-2.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.97 IQD 60.4K

$33.70 IQD 50.9K

18.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 IQD 27.8K

Cinema Ticket

$9.70 IQD 14.7K

$10.19 IQD 15.4K

-4.81%

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

$145 IQD 219.6K

$146 IQD 220.6K

-0.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,297 IQD 5.0M

$3,199 IQD 4.8M

3.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.60 IQD 38.7K

$25.73 IQD 38.9K

-0.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.32 IQD 50.3K

$33.53 IQD 50.7K

-0.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 IQD 90.9K

$58.9 IQD 89.0K

2.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.85 IQD 63.2K

$41.11 IQD 62.1K

1.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 IQD 811.6K

$206 IQD 311.9K

160.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 IQD 550.5K

$127 IQD 192.6K

185.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 IQD 1.5M

$321 IQD 485.3K

199.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 IQD 943.1K

$308 IQD 465.5K

102.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,276 IQD 6.5M

$974 IQD 1.5M

338.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,379 IQD 2.1M

$537 IQD 811.4K

156.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$518 IQD 782.8K

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-musayyib: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baghdad

$364 34.8%

Al-musayyib

$127 16.6% 65% $237

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baghdad

$245 23.4%

Al-musayyib

$245 31.9% 0.1% $0.3

Groceries & Markets

Baghdad

$164 15.6%

Al-musayyib

$145 18.9% 11.2% $18

Eating Out

Baghdad

$113 10.8%

Al-musayyib

$115 14.9% 1.2% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Baghdad

$72 6.9%

Al-musayyib

$72 9.3% 1% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Baghdad

$59 5.7%

Al-musayyib

$54 7% 8.9% $5.3

Getting Around

Baghdad

$30 2.9%

Al-musayyib

$9.8 * 1.3% 67.2% $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 $206 in Al-musayyib. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27 in Baghdad vs $26 in Al-musayyib for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $145 per month, with Al-musayyib cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🇮🇶 Al-musayyib

🕒 Local time

19:08 7:08 PM

Same time as Baghdad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,216,040 Capital

279,939

💱 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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Baghdad Al-musayyib 59 km

From you

Baghdad
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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

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

Baghdad and Al-musayyib differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($1,048 vs $768 including rent). Al-musayyib is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,572 in Baghdad and $1,153 in Al-musayyib to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $537 in Baghdad versus $206 in Al-musayyib. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $145 in Baghdad versus $146 in Al-musayyib. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-musayyib – a meal for two runs $26 versus $27 in Baghdad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Al-musayyib 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.