Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Al-musayyib

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $664 a month against $768 in Al-musayyib, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Al-musayyib outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Al-musayyib
Learn more

Al-musayyib Living Index

Jump to prices

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Al-musayyib

🇮🇶 Iraq

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $664 in Basra versus $768 in Al-musayyib.

Basra $664
Al-musayyib $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,194 in Basra versus $1,152 in Al-musayyib.

Basra $1,194
Al-musayyib $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,725 in Basra versus $1,536 in Al-musayyib.

Basra $1,725
Al-musayyib $1,536

Living in Basra costs roughly 14% less than in Al-musayyib, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 IQD 5,859

$4.50 IQD 6,793

-13.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

$25.91 IQD 39.1K

3.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

$6.43 IQD 9,721

4.20%

Cappuccino

$2.29 IQD 3,462

$2.82 IQD 4,267

-18.79%

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

$0.38 IQD 568

$0.38 IQD 576

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 458

$0.22 IQD 332

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 IQD 4,951

$3.33 IQD 5,026

-1.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 IQD 5,541

$3.25 IQD 4,904

12.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,502

$0.90 IQD 1,359

10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 IQD 920

$0.67 IQD 1,019

-8.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 IQD 1,833

$1.30 IQD 1,971

-6.92%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,417

$1.29 IQD 1,951

24.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.32 IQD 9,552

$3.42 IQD 5,163

84.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 IQD 8,161

$3.28 IQD 4,962

64.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$10.03 IQD 15.1K

20.84%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,265

$1.02 IQD 1,540

-17.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,784

$0.90 IQD 1,357

31.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 IQD 1,285

$0.94 IQD 1,415

-9.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 834

$0.48 IQD 721

14.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 960

$0.54 IQD 817

18.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 813

$0.48 IQD 732

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 IQD 1,211

$0.48 IQD 730

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 IQD 512

$0.34 IQD 518

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.80 IQD 2,725

$1.68 IQD 2,531

7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

$11.98 IQD 18.1K

-6.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 IQD 2,383

$1.89 IQD 2,862

-16.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,755

$1.87 IQD 2,831

-2.67%

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

$2.01 IQD 3,043

-3.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 IQD 2,948

$1.30 IQD 1,961

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,576

$6.75 IQD 10.2K

-6.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 841

$0.55 IQD 825

1.82%

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

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

-30.84%

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

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

18.78%

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

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

$187 IQD 282.9K

-76.54%

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

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$19.82 IQD 30.0K

12.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

$38.37 IQD 58.0K

-12.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

$33.70 IQD 50.9K

-5.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,906

$10.19 IQD 15.4K

-35.62%

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

$109 IQD 165.2K

$146 IQD 220.6K

-25.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

$3,199 IQD 4.8M

1.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

$25.73 IQD 38.9K

69.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

$33.53 IQD 50.7K

-48.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

$58.9 IQD 89.0K

16.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

$41.11 IQD 62.1K

-12.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 IQD 611.7K

$206 IQD 311.9K

96.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.3K

$127 IQD 192.6K

8.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 IQD 558.1K

$321 IQD 485.3K

15.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$308 IQD 465.5K

77.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

$974 IQD 1.5M

44.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$707 IQD 1.1M

$537 IQD 811.4K

31.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 IQD 1.0M

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-musayyib: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$171 25.8%

Al-musayyib

$145 18.9% 15.1% $26

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$138 20.8%

Al-musayyib

$127 16.6% 7.6% $10

Eating Out

Basra

$105 15.8%

Al-musayyib

$115 14.9% 9.2% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$100 15%

Al-musayyib

$245 31.9% 146% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.2%

Al-musayyib

$72 9.3% 3.8% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$45 6.8%

Al-musayyib

$54 7% 20.3% $9.1

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.6%

Al-musayyib

$9.8 * 1.3% 67.6% $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 $206 in Al-musayyib. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27 in Basra vs $26 in Al-musayyib for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $145 per month, with Al-musayyib cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇮🇶 Al-musayyib

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

Same time as Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

279,939

💱 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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Basra Al-musayyib 420 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-musayyib: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $664 in Basra and $768 in Al-musayyib, so Basra is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $995 in Basra and $1,153 in Al-musayyib 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 $206 in Al-musayyib. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $109 in Basra versus $146 in Al-musayyib. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-musayyib – a meal for two runs $26 versus $27 in Basra. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.