Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baghdad and Zakho

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakho: $725 a month against $1,048 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Zakho
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Zakho Living Index

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Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,048

/mo nomad

Zakho

🇮🇶 Iraq

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baghdad and in Zakho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,048 in Baghdad versus $725 in Zakho.

Baghdad $1,048
Zakho $725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,508 in Baghdad versus $1,158 in Zakho.

Baghdad $1,508
Zakho $1,158

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,968 in Baghdad versus $1,591 in Zakho.

Baghdad $1,968
Zakho $1,591

Living in Baghdad is roughly 45% more expensive than in Zakho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baghdad 23% lower, Zakho 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.54 IQD 6,866

$4.18 IQD 6,310

8.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.64 IQD 40.3K

$36.97 IQD 55.9K

-27.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.47 IQD 9,781

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

-9.38%

Cappuccino

$2.68 IQD 4,054

$3.21 IQD 4,856

-16.51%

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

$0.39 IQD 584

$0.83 IQD 1,256

-53.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.33 IQD 506

-39.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 IQD 5,009

$5.65 IQD 8,535

-41.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 IQD 4,866

$3.94 IQD 5,960

-18.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 IQD 1,390

$1.10 IQD 1,669

-16.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 IQD 1,078

$0.68 IQD 1,023

4.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,999

$1.50 IQD 2,271

-12.00%

Eggs

$1.71 IQD 2,577

$1.58 IQD 2,382

8.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.30 IQD 4,989

$6.88 IQD 10.4K

-52.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 IQD 6,269

$4.26 IQD 6,440

-2.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$12.69 IQD 19.2K

-3.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 IQD 1,513

$0.98 IQD 1,484

2.04%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,487

$0.94 IQD 1,414

4.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,440

$1.02 IQD 1,536

-6.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,021

$0.65 IQD 986

4.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 877

$0.61 IQD 920

-4.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 854

$0.59 IQD 895

-3.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 903

$0.61 IQD 926

-1.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 IQD 927

$0.51 IQD 775

19.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.67 IQD 2,531

$2.18 IQD 3,300

-23.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

7.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 IQD 3,005

$1.46 IQD 2,213

36.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,962

$1.81 IQD 2,737

8.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 480

$0.29 IQD 439

10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.04 IQD 30.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 IQD 3,045

$1.68 IQD 2,546

20.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 IQD 1,964

$1.61 IQD 2,440

-19.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 IQD 10.1K

$5.65 IQD 8,531

18.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 870

$0.59 IQD 886

-1.69%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

0.43%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

$17.1K IQD 25.8M

-2.23%

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

$188 IQD 284.5K

$115 IQD 173.5K

64.01%

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

$24.28 IQD 36.7K

54.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.97 IQD 60.4K

$39.56 IQD 59.8K

1.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 IQD 27.8K

Cinema Ticket

$9.70 IQD 14.7K

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

-0.51%

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

$145 IQD 219.6K

$298 IQD 450.7K

-51.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,297 IQD 5.0M

$2,742 IQD 4.1M

20.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.60 IQD 38.7K

$26.56 IQD 40.1K

-3.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.32 IQD 50.3K

$19.78 IQD 29.9K

68.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 IQD 90.9K

$49.59 IQD 74.9K

21.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.85 IQD 63.2K

$39.81 IQD 60.1K

5.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 IQD 811.6K

$207 IQD 313.3K

159.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 IQD 550.5K

$136 IQD 205.0K

168.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 IQD 1.5M

$370 IQD 558.5K

160.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 IQD 943.1K

$319 IQD 482.7K

95.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,276 IQD 6.5M

$888 IQD 1.3M

381.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,379 IQD 2.1M

$551 IQD 833.0K

150.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$518 IQD 782.8K

$660 IQD 997.8K

-21.54%

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 Zakho: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baghdad

$364 34.8%

Zakho

$136 18.7% 62.8% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baghdad

$245 23.4%

Zakho

$151 20.9% 38.2% $94

Groceries & Markets

Baghdad

$164 15.6%

Zakho

$172 23.8% 5.2% $8.5

Eating Out

Baghdad

$113 10.8%

Zakho

$134 18.5% 18.4% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Baghdad

$72 6.9%

Zakho

$61 8.4% 15.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Baghdad

$59 5.7%

Zakho

$59 8.2% 0.5% $0.3

Getting Around

Baghdad

$30 2.9%

Zakho

$11 * 1.5% 63.4% $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 $207 in Zakho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zakho pays 27% 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 $37 in Zakho for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $172 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🇮🇶 Zakho

🕒 Local time

23:20 11:20 PM

Same time as Baghdad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,216,040 Capital

197,163

💱 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 Zakho 450 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 Zakho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zakho wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Baghdad. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zakho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% 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 $207 in Zakho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Baghdad pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,048 per month in Baghdad versus $725 in Zakho – Zakho is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $725 in Zakho versus $1,048 in Baghdad, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zakho but tight or insufficient in Baghdad. The gap between the two cities makes Zakho 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.