Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Al-'amarah

For one person, living costs are similar in Basra and in Al-’amarah: $664 and $672 a month, rent and utilities included.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Al-'amarah
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Al-'amarah Living Index

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Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Al-'amarah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$672

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basra and in Al-'amarah

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 Al-'amarah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $664 per month in Basra vs $672 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Basra $664
Al-'amarah $672

A couple spends around $1,194 per month in Basra vs $1,023 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Basra $1,194
Al-'amarah $1,023

A family of three spends $1,725 per month in Basra vs $1,373 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Basra $1,725
Al-'amarah $1,373

Basra and Al-’amarah have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Basra and Al-’amarah are more affordable than the global median – Basra 51% lower, Al-’amarah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 IQD 5,859

$4.08 IQD 6,163

-4.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

$19.39 IQD 29.3K

38.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

$6.29 IQD 9,501

6.52%

Cappuccino

$2.29 IQD 3,462

$2.23 IQD 3,364

2.69%

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

$0.38 IQD 568

$0.38 IQD 575

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 458

$0.21 IQD 311

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 IQD 4,951

$3.01 IQD 4,555

8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 IQD 5,541

$2.45 IQD 3,705

49.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,502

$0.99 IQD 1,494

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 IQD 920

$0.67 IQD 1,014

-8.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 IQD 1,833

$1.38 IQD 2,090

-12.32%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,417

$1.59 IQD 2,409

0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.32 IQD 9,552

$3.88 IQD 5,856

62.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 IQD 8,161

$3.44 IQD 5,192

56.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$13.32 IQD 20.1K

-9.01%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,265

$0.95 IQD 1,440

-11.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,784

$0.98 IQD 1,474

20.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 IQD 1,285

$0.91 IQD 1,368

-6.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 834

$0.63 IQD 951

-12.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 960

$0.55 IQD 836

16.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 813

$0.63 IQD 950

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 IQD 1,211

$0.56 IQD 848

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 IQD 512

$0.47 IQD 715

-27.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.80 IQD 2,725

$1.48 IQD 2,231

21.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

-7.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 IQD 2,383

$1.68 IQD 2,545

-5.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,755

$1.85 IQD 2,798

-1.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 789

$0.29 IQD 438

79.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 IQD 2,923

$1.79 IQD 2,712

7.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 IQD 2,948

$1.17 IQD 1,766

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,576

$5.46 IQD 8,252

16.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 841

$0.58 IQD 878

-3.45%

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

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

-35.09%

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

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

$14.7K IQD 22.2M

33.90%

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

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

$97.8 IQD 147.8K

-55.10%

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

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$14.57 IQD 22.0K

52.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

$28.47 IQD 43.0K

18.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

$36.45 IQD 55.1K

-12.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,906

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

-27.43%

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

$109 IQD 165.2K

$143 IQD 216.2K

-23.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

$2,964 IQD 4.5M

9.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

$23.18 IQD 35.0K

87.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

$22.01 IQD 33.3K

-21.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

$68.2 IQD 103.0K

0.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

$32.78 IQD 49.5K

9.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 IQD 611.7K

$204 IQD 308.8K

98.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.3K

$140 IQD 211.8K

-1.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 IQD 558.1K

$368 IQD 555.9K

0.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$287 IQD 433.4K

91.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

$863 IQD 1.3M

62.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$707 IQD 1.1M

$486 IQD 733.7K

45.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 IQD 1.0M

$434 IQD 655.1K

53.77%

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: October 24, 2026

Last update for Al-'amarah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$171 25.8%

Al-'amarah

$162 24.1% 5.5% $9.4

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$138 20.8%

Al-'amarah

$140 20.9% 1.7% $2.3

Eating Out

Basra

$105 15.8%

Al-'amarah

$101 15% 4.3% $4.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$100 15%

Al-'amarah

$141 21% 41.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.2%

Al-'amarah

$66 9.8% 11.7% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$45 6.8%

Al-'amarah

$55 8.1% 21.3% $9.6

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.6%

Al-'amarah

$8.8 * 1.3% 70.9% $21

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 $204 in Al-’amarah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 54% higher in Basra. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Basra versus $19 in Al-’amarah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $162 – making Al-’amarah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇮🇶 Al-'amarah

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

Same time as Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

511,542

💱 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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Basra Al-'amarah 160 km

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Basra
Al-'amarah

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 Al-'amarah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $995 per month in Basra and $1,009 in Al-’amarah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-’amarah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $405 in Basra.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Basra and $19 in Al-’amarah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $109 per month in Basra and $143 in Al-’amarah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $664 in Basra and $672 in Al-’amarah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.