Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Al-miqdadiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $664 a month against $767 in Al-miqdadiyah, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Al-miqdadiyah
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Al-miqdadiyah Living Index

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Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Al-miqdadiyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $664 in Basra versus $767 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Basra $664
Al-miqdadiyah $767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,194 in Basra versus $1,190 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Basra $1,194
Al-miqdadiyah $1,190

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,725 in Basra versus $1,614 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Basra $1,725
Al-miqdadiyah $1,614

Living in Basra costs roughly 13% less than in Al-miqdadiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Basra 51% lower, Al-miqdadiyah 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 IQD 5,859

$4.02 IQD 6,077

-3.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

$36.99 IQD 55.9K

-27.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

$7.47 IQD 11.3K

-10.31%

Cappuccino

$2.29 IQD 3,462

$3.25 IQD 4,907

-29.54%

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

$0.38 IQD 568

$0.82 IQD 1,244

-53.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 458

$0.33 IQD 503

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 IQD 4,951

$5.70 IQD 8,620

-42.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 IQD 5,541

$3.85 IQD 5,822

-4.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,502

$1.11 IQD 1,671

-10.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 IQD 920

$0.69 IQD 1,037

-11.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 IQD 1,833

$1.46 IQD 2,204

-17.12%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,417

$1.59 IQD 2,401

0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.32 IQD 9,552

$7.19 IQD 10.9K

-12.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 IQD 8,161

$4.22 IQD 6,384

27.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$12.98 IQD 19.6K

-6.63%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,265

$0.97 IQD 1,463

-13.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,784

$1.00 IQD 1,506

18.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 IQD 1,285

$1.02 IQD 1,539

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 834

$0.71 IQD 1,070

-22.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 960

$0.65 IQD 983

-1.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 813

$0.62 IQD 943

-12.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 IQD 1,211

$0.60 IQD 905

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 IQD 512

$0.49 IQD 740

-30.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.80 IQD 2,725

$2.12 IQD 3,207

-15.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

$10.55 IQD 15.9K

6.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 IQD 2,383

$1.41 IQD 2,126

12.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,755

$1.85 IQD 2,800

-1.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 789

$0.29 IQD 440

79.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 IQD 2,923

$1.68 IQD 2,540

14.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 IQD 2,948

$1.61 IQD 2,427

21.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,576

$5.44 IQD 8,223

16.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 841

$0.57 IQD 866

-1.75%

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

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

$16.8K IQD 25.3M

-31.82%

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

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

$16.9K IQD 25.6M

15.90%

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

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

$114 IQD 172.8K

-61.59%

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

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$12.20 IQD 18.4K

82.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

$23.98 IQD 36.2K

40.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

-17.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,906

$9.98 IQD 15.1K

-34.27%

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

$109 IQD 165.2K

$291 IQD 440.3K

-62.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

$2,756 IQD 4.2M

17.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

$27.15 IQD 41.0K

60.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

-55.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

$59.0 IQD 89.1K

16.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

$59.5 IQD 90.0K

-39.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 IQD 611.7K

$204 IQD 308.7K

98.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.3K

$156 IQD 235.3K

-11.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 IQD 558.1K

$341 IQD 515.6K

8.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$291 IQD 439.2K

88.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

$921 IQD 1.4M

52.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$707 IQD 1.1M

$518 IQD 782.9K

36.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 IQD 1.0M

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 Basra: October 24, 2026

Last update for Al-miqdadiyah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$171 25.8%

Al-miqdadiyah

$173 22.6% 1.3% $2.3

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$138 20.8%

Al-miqdadiyah

$156 20.3% 12.9% $18

Eating Out

Basra

$105 15.8%

Al-miqdadiyah

$134 17.5% 27.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$100 15%

Al-miqdadiyah

$151 19.6% 50.8% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.2%

Al-miqdadiyah

$83 10.8% 11.4% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$45 6.8%

Al-miqdadiyah

$59 7.7% 30.6% $14

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.6%

Al-miqdadiyah

$11 * 1.4% 64% $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 $405 in Basra and $204 in Al-miqdadiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27 in Basra vs $37 in Al-miqdadiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $174 per month, with Basra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇮🇶 Al-miqdadiyah

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

Same time as Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

155,968

💱 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-miqdadiyah 470 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 Al-miqdadiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $664 in Basra and $767 in Al-miqdadiyah, so Basra is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $995 in Basra and $1,150 in Al-miqdadiyah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $405 in Basra versus $204 in Al-miqdadiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $109 in Basra versus $291 in Al-miqdadiyah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $664 per month in Basra versus $767 in Al-miqdadiyah – Basra is about 13% 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.

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.