Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baghdad and Az Zubayr

For one person, living is cheaper in Az Zubayr: $656 a month against $1,048 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Az Zubayr
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Az Zubayr Living Index

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Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,048

/mo nomad

Az Zubayr

🇮🇶 Iraq

$656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baghdad and in Az Zubayr

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,048 in Baghdad versus $656 in Az Zubayr.

Baghdad $1,048
Az Zubayr $656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,508 in Baghdad versus $1,021 in Az Zubayr.

Baghdad $1,508
Az Zubayr $1,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,968 in Baghdad versus $1,387 in Az Zubayr.

Baghdad $1,968
Az Zubayr $1,387

Living in Baghdad is roughly 60% more expensive than in Az Zubayr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baghdad 23% lower, Az Zubayr 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.54 IQD 6,866

$4.37 IQD 6,602

3.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.64 IQD 40.3K

$19.52 IQD 29.5K

36.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.47 IQD 9,781

$5.58 IQD 8,436

15.95%

Cappuccino

$2.68 IQD 4,054

$2.65 IQD 4,001

1.13%

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

$0.39 IQD 584

$0.33 IQD 497

18.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.20 IQD 297

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 IQD 5,009

$3.38 IQD 5,107

-2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 IQD 4,866

$2.28 IQD 3,447

41.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 IQD 1,390

$1.00 IQD 1,513

-8.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 IQD 1,078

$0.76 IQD 1,152

-6.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,999

$1.59 IQD 2,399

-16.98%

Eggs

$1.71 IQD 2,577

$1.46 IQD 2,203

17.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.30 IQD 4,989

$4.38 IQD 6,621

-24.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 IQD 6,269

$3.43 IQD 5,189

20.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

1.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 IQD 1,513

$1.07 IQD 1,623

-6.54%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,487

$0.99 IQD 1,502

-1.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,440

$1.03 IQD 1,561

-7.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,021

$0.66 IQD 994

3.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 877

$0.57 IQD 855

1.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 854

$0.67 IQD 1,012

-14.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 903

$0.56 IQD 852

7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 IQD 927

$0.44 IQD 671

38.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.67 IQD 2,531

$1.47 IQD 2,225

13.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

$11.27 IQD 17.0K

3.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 IQD 3,005

$1.42 IQD 2,149

40.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,962

$1.62 IQD 2,450

20.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 480

$0.32 IQD 479

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.04 IQD 30.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 IQD 3,045

$1.68 IQD 2,543

20.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 IQD 1,964

$1.12 IQD 1,698

16.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 IQD 10.1K

$5.39 IQD 8,146

23.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 870

$0.53 IQD 803

9.43%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$15.9K IQD 24.0M

4.21%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

1.40%

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

$188 IQD 284.5K

$94.9 IQD 143.4K

98.48%

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

$19.25 IQD 29.1K

$11.70 IQD 17.7K

64.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.51 IQD 56.7K

$27.28 IQD 41.2K

37.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.97 IQD 60.4K

$39.31 IQD 59.4K

1.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 IQD 27.8K

Cinema Ticket

$9.70 IQD 14.7K

$7.83 IQD 11.8K

23.88%

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

$145 IQD 219.6K

$137 IQD 206.7K

6.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,297 IQD 5.0M

$2,772 IQD 4.2M

18.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.60 IQD 38.7K

$18.27 IQD 27.6K

40.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.32 IQD 50.3K

$21.75 IQD 32.9K

53.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 IQD 90.9K

$53.7 IQD 81.2K

12.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.85 IQD 63.2K

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

6.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 IQD 811.6K

$200 IQD 302.7K

168.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 IQD 550.5K

$133 IQD 200.3K

174.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 IQD 1.5M

$418 IQD 631.5K

130.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 IQD 943.1K

$315 IQD 476.0K

98.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,276 IQD 6.5M

$833 IQD 1.3M

413.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,379 IQD 2.1M

$479 IQD 723.6K

188.02%

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 Az Zubayr: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baghdad

$364 34.8%

Az Zubayr

$133 20.2% 63.6% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baghdad

$245 23.4%

Az Zubayr

$134 20.4% 45.4% $111

Groceries & Markets

Baghdad

$164 15.6%

Az Zubayr

$159 24.2% 3.1% $5

Eating Out

Baghdad

$113 10.8%

Az Zubayr

$107 16.3% 5.5% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Baghdad

$72 6.9%

Az Zubayr

$60 9.1% 17.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Baghdad

$59 5.7%

Az Zubayr

$55 8.4% 7.4% $4.4

Getting Around

Baghdad

$30 2.9%

Az Zubayr

$8.6 * 1.3% 71.3% $21

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 $200 in Az Zubayr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27 in Baghdad vs $20 in Az Zubayr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $159 per month, with Az Zubayr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🇮🇶 Az Zubayr

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

Same time as Baghdad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,216,040 Capital

370,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Baghdad Az Zubayr 450 km

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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 Az Zubayr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,048 in Baghdad and $656 in Az Zubayr, so Az Zubayr is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,572 in Baghdad and $983 in Az Zubayr 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 $200 in Az Zubayr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% 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 $656 in Az Zubayr – Az Zubayr is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Az Zubayr 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.