Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Al Kufah

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $664 a month against $703 in Al Kufah, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Al Kufah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Al Kufah
Learn more

Al Kufah Living Index

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Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Al Kufah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$703

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basra and in Al Kufah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $664 in Basra versus $703 in Al Kufah.

Basra $664
Al Kufah $703

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,194 in Basra versus $1,050 in Al Kufah.

Basra $1,194
Al Kufah $1,050

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,725 in Basra versus $1,397 in Al Kufah.

Basra $1,725
Al Kufah $1,397

Living in Basra costs roughly 6% less than in Al Kufah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Basra 51% lower, Al Kufah 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 IQD 5,859

$4.74 IQD 7,162

-18.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

$25.90 IQD 39.1K

3.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

$6.63 IQD 10.0K

1.06%

Cappuccino

$2.29 IQD 3,462

$2.82 IQD 4,258

-18.79%

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

$0.38 IQD 568

$0.38 IQD 579

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 458

$0.20 IQD 302

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 IQD 4,951

$3.21 IQD 4,844

2.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 IQD 5,541

$3.24 IQD 4,897

13.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,502

$0.96 IQD 1,451

3.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 IQD 920

$0.69 IQD 1,041

-11.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 IQD 1,833

$1.32 IQD 1,989

-8.33%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,417

$1.70 IQD 2,574

-5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.32 IQD 9,552

$2.02 IQD 3,046

212.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 IQD 8,161

$3.99 IQD 6,032

35.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$7.85 IQD 11.9K

54.39%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,265

$0.63 IQD 954

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,784

$0.96 IQD 1,449

22.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 IQD 1,285

$0.56 IQD 848

51.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 834

$0.49 IQD 736

12.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 960

$0.43 IQD 650

48.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 813

$0.33 IQD 499

63.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 IQD 1,211

$0.19 IQD 284

321.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 IQD 512

$0.51 IQD 776

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.80 IQD 2,725

$1.53 IQD 2,319

17.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

$11.59 IQD 17.5K

-3.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 IQD 2,383

$2.00 IQD 3,017

-21.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,755

$1.97 IQD 2,972

-7.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 789

$0.32 IQD 480

62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 IQD 2,923

$1.95 IQD 2,954

-1.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 IQD 2,948

$1.34 IQD 2,031

45.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,576

$6.52 IQD 9,849

-2.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 841

$0.49 IQD 733

14.29%

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

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

$16.6K IQD 25.0M

-30.95%

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

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

16.92%

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

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

$188 IQD 283.3K

-76.58%

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

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$19.15 IQD 28.9K

16.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

$19.76 IQD 29.9K

70.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

$15.05 IQD 22.7K

111.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,906

$9.64 IQD 14.6K

-31.95%

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

$109 IQD 165.2K

$69.3 IQD 104.8K

57.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

$2,161 IQD 3.3M

49.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

$10.13 IQD 15.3K

330.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

$29.46 IQD 44.5K

-41.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

$20.07 IQD 30.3K

242.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

$34.57 IQD 52.2K

3.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 IQD 611.7K

$208 IQD 313.5K

95.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.3K

$135 IQD 204.6K

1.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 IQD 558.1K

$371 IQD 561.3K

-0.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$309 IQD 466.6K

77.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

$1,244 IQD 1.9M

12.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$707 IQD 1.1M

$495 IQD 748.2K

42.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 IQD 1.0M

$902 IQD 1.4M

-26.13%

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 Kufah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$171 25.8%

Al Kufah

$138 19.6% 19.6% $34

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$138 20.8%

Al Kufah

$135 19.3% 1.8% $2.5

Eating Out

Basra

$105 15.8%

Al Kufah

$116 16.6% 10.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$100 15%

Al Kufah

$226 32.2% 127% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.2%

Al Kufah

$42 6% 43.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$45 6.8%

Al Kufah

$34 4.9% 23.6% $11

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.6%

Al Kufah

$10 * 1.4% 67% $20

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 $405 in Basra and $208 in Al Kufah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Kufah pays 35% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in Basra vs $26 in Al Kufah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $138 per month, with Al Kufah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇮🇶 Al Kufah

🕒 Local time

01:59 1:59 AM

Same time as Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

230,000

💱 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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Between locations

Basra Al Kufah 370 km

From you

Basra
Al Kufah

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 Kufah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basra is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Basra. 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: $405 in Basra versus $208 in Al Kufah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Al Kufah pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $664 per month in Basra versus $703 in Al Kufah – Basra is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Basra gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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