Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Al-Rumaitha

For one person, living costs are similar in Basra and in Al-Rumaitha: $652 and $650 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-Rumaitha
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Al-Rumaitha Living Index

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Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$652

/mo nomad

Al-Rumaitha

🇮🇶 Iraq

$650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $652 in Basra versus $650 in Al-Rumaitha.

Basra $652
Al-Rumaitha $650

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,179 in Basra versus $1,027 in Al-Rumaitha.

Basra $1,179
Al-Rumaitha $1,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,706 in Basra versus $1,403 in Al-Rumaitha.

Basra $1,706
Al-Rumaitha $1,403

Monthly costs are close between Basra and Al-Rumaitha; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Basra 52% lower, Al-Rumaitha 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 IQD 6,134

$3.62 IQD 5,465

12.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.00 IQD 39.3K

$23.11 IQD 34.9K

12.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.42 IQD 9,706

$7.08 IQD 10.7K

-9.32%

Cappuccino

$2.21 IQD 3,342

$2.33 IQD 3,523

-5.15%

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

$0.36 IQD 551

$0.31 IQD 471

16.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 455

$0.19 IQD 286

57.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 IQD 4,849

$2.91 IQD 4,398

10.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 IQD 5,394

$2.60 IQD 3,936

37.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,460

$0.86 IQD 1,298

12.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 IQD 841

$0.78 IQD 1,185

-28.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 IQD 1,895

$1.37 IQD 2,063

-8.76%

Eggs

$1.62 IQD 2,442

$1.58 IQD 2,392

2.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.28 IQD 9,486

$4.09 IQD 6,174

53.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 IQD 8,061

$3.61 IQD 5,449

47.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$12.06 IQD 18.2K

0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,356

$0.92 IQD 1,384

-2.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,787

$0.95 IQD 1,428

24.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,266

$0.84 IQD 1,268

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 904

$0.66 IQD 1,002

-9.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,044

$0.56 IQD 844

23.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 IQD 802

$0.56 IQD 849

-5.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 IQD 1,160

$0.56 IQD 839

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 546

$0.47 IQD 717

-23.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 IQD 2,705

$1.63 IQD 2,468

9.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 IQD 16.5K

$10.70 IQD 16.2K

2.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,204

$1.40 IQD 2,120

4.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 IQD 2,617

$1.78 IQD 2,691

-2.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 756

$0.42 IQD 639

19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.76 IQD 25.3K

$22.08 IQD 33.4K

-24.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 IQD 2,946

$1.80 IQD 2,724

8.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 IQD 2,930

$1.34 IQD 2,031

44.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.35 IQD 9,594

$4.81 IQD 7,268

32.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 849

$0.51 IQD 766

9.80%

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

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

$14.9K IQD 22.6M

-21.46%

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

$19.5K IQD 29.5M

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

15.63%

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

$44.55 IQD 67.3K

$88.6 IQD 133.9K

-49.72%

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

$22.24 IQD 33.6K

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

83.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.88 IQD 51.2K

$24.88 IQD 37.6K

36.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.91 IQD 46.7K

$37.29 IQD 56.3K

-17.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.94 IQD 18.0K

$3.39 IQD 5,120

252.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 IQD 9,898

$9.20 IQD 13.9K

-28.80%

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

$109 IQD 164.7K

$128 IQD 193.8K

-15.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,250 IQD 4.9M

$2,684 IQD 4.1M

21.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.34 IQD 65.5K

$20.77 IQD 31.4K

108.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.27 IQD 26.1K

$21.12 IQD 31.9K

-18.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

$46.80 IQD 70.7K

43.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.95 IQD 54.3K

$30.79 IQD 46.5K

16.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 IQD 617.4K

$178 IQD 269.0K

129.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 IQD 195.6K

$128 IQD 194.1K

0.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 IQD 1.1M

$373 IQD 564.1K

100.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 IQD 814.7K

$308 IQD 465.9K

74.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,363 IQD 2.1M

$629 IQD 951.1K

116.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$688 IQD 1.0M

$532 IQD 803.7K

29.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 IQD 979.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Basra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Al-Rumaitha: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$170 26%

Al-Rumaitha

$154 23.7% 9.1% $15

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$129 19.9%

Al-Rumaitha

$128 19.8% 0.8% $1

Eating Out

Basra

$104 16%

Al-Rumaitha

$100 15.4% 4.1% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$101 15.4%

Al-Rumaitha

$126 19.3% 24.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.3%

Al-Rumaitha

$54 8.3% 26.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$44 6.8%

Al-Rumaitha

$56 8.6% 26.5% $12

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.7%

Al-Rumaitha

$32 5% 6.2% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Basra and $178 in Al-Rumaitha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Basra vs $23.00 in Al-Rumaitha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $154 per month, with Al-Rumaitha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇮🇶 Al-Rumaitha

🕒 Local time

01:40 1:40 AM

Same time as Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

115,431

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Basra Al-Rumaitha 270 km

From you

Basra
Al-Rumaitha

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-Rumaitha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You'd need roughly $978 in Basra and $975 in Al-Rumaitha 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: $409 in Basra versus $178 in Al-Rumaitha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $109 in Basra versus $128 in Al-Rumaitha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-Rumaitha – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $26.00 in Basra. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Al-Rumaitha 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.

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