Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Ad Diwaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Diwaniyah: $555 a month against $662 in Basra, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Ad Diwaniyah
Learn more

Ad Diwaniyah Living Index

Jump to prices

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$662

/mo nomad

Ad Diwaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basra and in Ad Diwaniyah

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Basra and in Ad Diwaniyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $662 per month in Basra vs $555 in Ad Diwaniyah, rent included.

Basra $662
Ad Diwaniyah $555

A couple spends around $1,191 per month in Basra vs $876 in Ad Diwaniyah, rent included.

Basra $1,191
Ad Diwaniyah $876

A family of three spends $1,719 per month in Basra vs $1,197 in Ad Diwaniyah, rent included.

Basra $1,719
Ad Diwaniyah $1,197

Basra costs about 19% more than Ad Diwaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Basra and Ad Diwaniyah are more affordable than the global median – Basra 51% lower, Ad Diwaniyah 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 IQD 6,082

$2.75 IQD 4,151

46.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.47 IQD 40.0K

$10.00 IQD 15.1K

164.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 IQD 10.0K

$4.74 IQD 7,161

39.66%

Cappuccino

$2.17 IQD 3,285

$1.63 IQD 2,460

33.13%

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

$0.37 IQD 554

$0.38 IQD 578

-2.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 IQD 417

$0.20 IQD 302

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 IQD 4,916

$3.24 IQD 4,903

0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 IQD 5,393

$3.21 IQD 4,845

11.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 IQD 1,389

$0.97 IQD 1,458

-5.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 IQD 902

$0.65 IQD 976

-7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 IQD 1,842

$1.18 IQD 1,787

3.39%

Eggs

$1.62 IQD 2,448

$1.68 IQD 2,539

-3.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 IQD 9,681

$3.36 IQD 5,074

90.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.58 IQD 8,429

$3.21 IQD 4,857

73.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.22 IQD 18.5K

$10.09 IQD 15.2K

21.11%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,267

$0.64 IQD 964

31.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 IQD 1,753

$0.64 IQD 962

81.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 IQD 1,342

$0.69 IQD 1,045

28.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 910

$0.63 IQD 955

-4.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,044

$0.58 IQD 880

18.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 846

$0.61 IQD 918

-8.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 IQD 1,236

$0.34 IQD 519

141.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 547

$0.58 IQD 878

-37.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 IQD 2,790

$1.61 IQD 2,432

14.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 IQD 16.9K

$3.20 IQD 4,839

248.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 IQD 2,365

$1.92 IQD 2,902

-18.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 IQD 2,717

$1.88 IQD 2,845

-4.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 762

$0.35 IQD 523

42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.56 IQD 25.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 IQD 3,056

$2.03 IQD 3,061

-0.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 IQD 3,023

$0.79 IQD 1,197

153.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,581

$6.46 IQD 9,762

-1.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 838

$0.31 IQD 472

77.42%

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

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

-27.77%

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

$19.9K IQD 30.1M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

20.63%

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

$43.26 IQD 65.4K

$32.48 IQD 49.1K

33.19%

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

$21.81 IQD 33.0K

$14.71 IQD 22.2K

48.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.04 IQD 51.4K

$32.47 IQD 49.1K

4.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.25 IQD 47.2K

$36.54 IQD 55.2K

-14.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.28 IQD 18.6K

$6.57 IQD 9,930

86.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.69 IQD 10.1K

$6.78 IQD 10.2K

-1.33%

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

$107 IQD 161.7K

$65.0 IQD 98.2K

64.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,309 IQD 5.0M

$3,188 IQD 4.8M

3.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.15 IQD 65.2K

$25.12 IQD 38.0K

71.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.34 IQD 26.2K

$33.90 IQD 51.2K

-48.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

$60.0 IQD 90.7K

11.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.13 IQD 54.6K

$42.12 IQD 63.6K

-14.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 IQD 612.0K

$206 IQD 310.8K

96.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.2K

$137 IQD 206.2K

0.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 IQD 559.6K

$369 IQD 557.4K

0.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 IQD 823.8K

$320 IQD 483.9K

70.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,398 IQD 2.1M

$853 IQD 1.3M

63.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$704 IQD 1.1M

$495 IQD 748.4K

42.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$672 IQD 1.0M

$332 IQD 501.9K

102.34%

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 Basra: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ad Diwaniyah: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$173 26%

Ad Diwaniyah

$128 23.1% 25.8% $45

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$138 20.8%

Ad Diwaniyah

$136 24.6% 0.9% $1.3

Eating Out

Basra

$104 15.7%

Ad Diwaniyah

$81 14.5% 22.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$99 15%

Ad Diwaniyah

$80 14.4% 19.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.1%

Ad Diwaniyah

$73 13.1% 1.5% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$45 6.7%

Ad Diwaniyah

$50 9% 12.2% $5.5

Getting Around

Basra

$31 4.6%

Ad Diwaniyah

$7.4 * 1.3% 75.9% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $405 in Basra versus $206 in Ad Diwaniyah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Basra are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Basra versus $10 in Ad Diwaniyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $128 – making Ad Diwaniyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇮🇶 Ad Diwaniyah

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

Same time as Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

650,927

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Basra Ad Diwaniyah 320 km

From you

Basra
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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

Basra vs Ad Diwaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Basra is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $994 per month in Basra and $832 in Ad Diwaniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ad Diwaniyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $206 there versus $405 in Basra.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $662 in Basra and $555 in Ad Diwaniyah. That makes Ad Diwaniyah about 16% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $107 per month in Basra and $65 in Ad Diwaniyah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $662 in Basra and $555 in Ad Diwaniyah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Ad Diwaniyah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Ad Diwaniyah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Basra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.