Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baghdad and Sinjar

For one person, living is cheaper in Sinjar: $540 a month against $1,048 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Sinjar
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Sinjar Living Index

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Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,048

/mo nomad

Sinjar

🇮🇶 Iraq

$540

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baghdad and in Sinjar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,048 in Baghdad versus $540 in Sinjar.

Baghdad $1,048
Sinjar $540

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,508 in Baghdad versus $842 in Sinjar.

Baghdad $1,508
Sinjar $842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,968 in Baghdad versus $1,145 in Sinjar.

Baghdad $1,968
Sinjar $1,145

Living in Baghdad is roughly 94% more expensive than in Sinjar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baghdad 23% lower, Sinjar 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.54 IQD 6,866

$4.07 IQD 6,152

11.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.64 IQD 40.3K

$7.72 IQD 11.7K

245.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.47 IQD 9,781

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

-9.38%

Cappuccino

$2.68 IQD 4,054

$0.68 IQD 1,023

294.12%

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

$0.39 IQD 584

$0.34 IQD 519

14.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.17 IQD 263

17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 IQD 5,009

$0.97 IQD 1,470

241.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 IQD 4,866

$1.69 IQD 2,557

90.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 IQD 1,390

$0.69 IQD 1,041

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 IQD 1,078

$0.69 IQD 1,037

2.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,999

$0.63 IQD 955

109.52%

Eggs

$1.71 IQD 2,577

$1.57 IQD 2,374

8.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.30 IQD 4,989

$2.00 IQD 3,030

65.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 IQD 6,269

$4.05 IQD 6,124

2.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$10.39 IQD 15.7K

17.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 IQD 1,513

$0.69 IQD 1,037

44.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,487

$0.67 IQD 1,017

46.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,440

$0.63 IQD 952

50.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,021

$0.68 IQD 1,024

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 877

$0.65 IQD 977

-10.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 854

$0.59 IQD 894

-3.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 903

$0.66 IQD 993

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 IQD 927

$0.32 IQD 477

90.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.67 IQD 2,531

$1.63 IQD 2,458

2.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

$6.44 IQD 9,726

80.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 IQD 3,005

$1.01 IQD 1,522

97.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,962

$1.63 IQD 2,466

20.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 480

$0.30 IQD 456

6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.04 IQD 30.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 IQD 3,045

$1.62 IQD 2,443

24.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 IQD 1,964

$1.53 IQD 2,318

-15.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 IQD 10.1K

$5.51 IQD 8,319

21.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 870

$0.29 IQD 437

100.00%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

1.96%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

-2.45%

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

$188 IQD 284.5K

$39.11 IQD 59.1K

381.51%

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

$19.25 IQD 29.1K

$12.27 IQD 18.5K

56.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.51 IQD 56.7K

$24.36 IQD 36.8K

53.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.97 IQD 60.4K

$37.27 IQD 56.3K

7.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 IQD 27.8K

$33.40 IQD 50.5K

-44.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.70 IQD 14.7K

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

-0.61%

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

$145 IQD 219.6K

$292 IQD 441.8K

-50.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,297 IQD 5.0M

$2,747 IQD 4.2M

20.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.60 IQD 38.7K

$10.19 IQD 15.4K

151.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.32 IQD 50.3K

$9.82 IQD 14.8K

239.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 IQD 90.9K

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

1.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.85 IQD 63.2K

$58.8 IQD 88.8K

-28.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 IQD 811.6K

$211 IQD 318.4K

154.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 IQD 550.5K

$138 IQD 208.5K

164.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 IQD 1.5M

$412 IQD 623.1K

133.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 IQD 943.1K

$281 IQD 424.3K

122.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,276 IQD 6.5M

$733 IQD 1.1M

483.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,379 IQD 2.1M

$552 IQD 834.2K

149.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$518 IQD 782.8K

$197 IQD 297.0K

163.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

2.53

62.85%

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

Last update for Baghdad: October 24, 2026

Last update for Sinjar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baghdad

$364 34.8%

Sinjar

$138 25.6% 62.1% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baghdad

$245 23.4%

Sinjar

$76 14% 69.1% $169

Groceries & Markets

Baghdad

$164 15.6%

Sinjar

$124 23% 24.2% $40

Eating Out

Baghdad

$113 10.8%

Sinjar

$72 13.4% 36.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Baghdad

$72 6.9%

Sinjar

$62 11.5% 14.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Baghdad

$59 5.7%

Sinjar

$57 10.5% 4.4% $2.6

Getting Around

Baghdad

$30 2.9%

Sinjar

$11 * 1.9% 64.8% $19

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 $211 in Sinjar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baghdad pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in Baghdad vs $8 in Sinjar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $124 per month, with Sinjar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🇮🇶 Sinjar

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

Same time as Baghdad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,216,040 Capital

88,023

💱 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 Sinjar 410 km

From you

Baghdad
Sinjar

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 Sinjar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sinjar wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Baghdad. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sinjar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Baghdad is about 2.6 times higher, 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: $537 in Baghdad versus $211 in Sinjar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% 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 $540 in Sinjar – Sinjar is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

It comes down to priorities – Sinjar wins on affordability, Baghdad on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.