Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baghdad and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdad: $1,148 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,148

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baghdad and in Dubai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,148 in Baghdad versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Baghdad $1,148
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,702 in Baghdad versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Baghdad $1,702
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,256 in Baghdad versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Baghdad $2,256
Dubai $5,788

Living in Baghdad costs roughly 60% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baghdad is 14% below, Dubai is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.87 IQD 7,354

$13.04 AED 47.89

-62.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.91 IQD 52.7K

$81.4 AED 299

-57.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 IQD 11.4K

$9.32 AED 34.25

-19.31%

Cappuccino

$3.19 IQD 4,827

$5.97 AED 21.93

-46.57%

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

$0.36 IQD 548

$1.63 AED 5.98

-77.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 IQD 379

$0.81 AED 2.99

-69.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 IQD 5,788

$13.65 AED 50.1

-71.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 IQD 5,892

$13.38 AED 49.15

-70.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 IQD 1,563

$1.81 AED 6.64

-43.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 IQD 1,284

$1.57 AED 5.78

-45.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 IQD 2,308

$2.49 AED 9.16

-38.55%

Eggs

$1.92 IQD 2,901

$3.28 AED 12.04

-41.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.95 IQD 5,965

$12.67 AED 46.53

-68.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.60 IQD 6,954

$9.75 AED 35.80

-52.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.07 IQD 21.3K

$13.18 AED 48.40

6.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 IQD 1,722

$2.61 AED 9.57

-56.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 IQD 1,647

$1.93 AED 7.09

-43.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 IQD 1,567

$1.92 AED 7.05

-45.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.74 IQD 1,125

$1.36 AED 5.00

-45.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,034

$1.17 AED 4.29

-41.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 970

$1.01 AED 3.71

-36.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 IQD 1,003

$1.51 AED 5.56

-56.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 IQD 1,020

$0.62 AED 2.29

9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.93 IQD 2,922

$5.85 AED 21.50

-67.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 IQD 20.5K

$16.14 AED 59.3

-15.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 IQD 3,219

$2.65 AED 9.74

-19.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 IQD 3,296

$2.95 AED 10.82

-26.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 IQD 1,030

$1.64 AED 6.03

-58.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.19 IQD 35.0K

$73.6 AED 270

-68.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 IQD 3,402

$3.17 AED 11.66

-29.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 IQD 2,373

$0.71 AED 2.63

121.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 IQD 11.6K

$7.96 AED 29.23

-3.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 IQD 1,030

$0.99 AED 3.64

-31.31%

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

$19.1K IQD 28.8M

$27.4K AED 100.5K

-30.31%

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

$19.4K IQD 29.3M

$22.5K AED 82.8K

-13.96%

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

$218 IQD 330.0K

$250 AED 920

-12.78%

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

$19.65 IQD 29.7K

$54.2 AED 199

-63.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.88 IQD 64.8K

$91.8 AED 337

-53.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.30 IQD 71.5K

$98.6 AED 362

-52.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.47 IQD 32.4K

$42.61 AED 156

-49.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.64 IQD 16.1K

$16.03 AED 58.9

-33.62%

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

$168 IQD 253.1K

$843 AED 3,098

-80.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,430 IQD 5.2M

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-81.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.72 IQD 43.4K

$68.0 AED 250

-57.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.11 IQD 48.5K

$57.9 AED 213

-44.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 IQD 103.3K

$101 AED 370

-32.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.01 IQD 74.1K

$101 AED 371

-51.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 IQD 871.8K

$2,380 AED 8,741

-75.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 IQD 545.2K

$1,506 AED 5,531

-76.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 IQD 1.5M

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-77.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 IQD 1.0M

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-77.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,647 IQD 7.0M

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-34.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,569 IQD 2.4M

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-62.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$593 IQD 895.6K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-82.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

4.54

-9.25%

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

Last update for Baghdad: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baghdad

$361 31.6%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 317% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baghdad

$281 24.6%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 41.1% $116

Groceries & Markets

Baghdad

$186 16.3%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 57.3% $107

Eating Out

Baghdad

$129 11.3%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 139% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Baghdad

$80 7%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 83.8% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Baghdad

$69 6%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 90.6% $62

Getting Around

Baghdad

$36 3.2%

Dubai

$87 3% 141% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Baghdad and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 472% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Baghdad vs $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $293 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

11:52 11:52 AM

1 h ahead of Baghdad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,216,040 Capital

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,695 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Baghdad Dubai 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Baghdad
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baghdad wins on cost – living expenses run 149% lower than in Dubai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baghdad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 472% lower in Dubai. 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: $577 in Baghdad versus $2,380 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baghdad runs roughly 217% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $168 in Baghdad versus $843 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,148 in Baghdad versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baghdad but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Baghdad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Baghdad delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,148 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Baghdad hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Baghdad and Dubai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baghdad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 149% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.