Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and An Najaf

For one person, living is cheaper in An Najaf: $565 a month against $664 in Basra, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
Learn more

Basra Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in An Najaf
Learn more

An Najaf Living Index

Jump to prices

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

An Najaf

🇮🇶 Iraq

$565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basra and in An Najaf

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

A single person spends $664 per month in Basra vs $565 in An Najaf, rent included.

Basra $664
An Najaf $565

A couple spends around $1,194 per month in Basra vs $854 in An Najaf, rent included.

Basra $1,194
An Najaf $854

A family of three spends $1,725 per month in Basra vs $1,143 in An Najaf, rent included.

Basra $1,725
An Najaf $1,143

Basra costs about 17% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Basra and An Najaf are more affordable than the global median – Basra 51% lower, An Najaf 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 IQD 5,859

$3.88 IQD 5,856

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

$19.70 IQD 29.8K

36.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

$4.32 IQD 6,528

55.09%

Cappuccino

$2.29 IQD 3,462

$2.26 IQD 3,416

1.33%

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

$0.38 IQD 568

$0.39 IQD 582

-2.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 458

$0.22 IQD 333

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 IQD 4,951

$3.26 IQD 4,923

0.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 IQD 5,541

$2.02 IQD 3,055

81.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,502

$0.90 IQD 1,367

10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 IQD 920

$0.68 IQD 1,023

-10.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 IQD 1,833

$1.31 IQD 1,972

-7.63%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,417

$1.68 IQD 2,542

-4.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.32 IQD 9,552

$3.28 IQD 4,951

92.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 IQD 8,161

$3.43 IQD 5,187

57.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$9.56 IQD 14.5K

26.78%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,265

$0.97 IQD 1,458

-13.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,784

$0.91 IQD 1,375

29.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 IQD 1,285

$0.94 IQD 1,425

-9.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 834

$0.68 IQD 1,029

-19.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 960

$0.56 IQD 841

14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 813

$0.61 IQD 919

-11.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 IQD 1,211

$0.58 IQD 877

37.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 IQD 512

$0.49 IQD 743

-30.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.80 IQD 2,725

$1.63 IQD 2,462

10.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

$11.93 IQD 18.0K

-6.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 IQD 2,383

$1.93 IQD 2,919

-18.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,755

$1.91 IQD 2,892

-4.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 789

$0.31 IQD 462

67.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 IQD 2,923

$1.31 IQD 1,974

47.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 IQD 2,948

$1.31 IQD 1,975

48.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,576

$5.38 IQD 8,132

17.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 841

$0.41 IQD 625

36.59%

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

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

$12.1K IQD 18.4M

-5.90%

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

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

16.44%

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

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

$34.87 IQD 52.7K

25.95%

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

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$14.80 IQD 22.4K

50.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

$33.39 IQD 50.5K

0.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

$25.35 IQD 38.3K

25.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,906

$8.44 IQD 12.7K

-22.27%

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

$109 IQD 165.2K

$147 IQD 222.0K

-25.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

$797 IQD 1.2M

306.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

$15.04 IQD 22.7K

189.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

$23.28 IQD 35.2K

-25.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

$60.3 IQD 91.2K

13.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

$41.51 IQD 62.7K

-13.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 IQD 611.7K

$234 IQD 353.4K

73.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.3K

$125 IQD 188.4K

10.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 IQD 558.1K

$311 IQD 469.6K

18.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$189 IQD 286.0K

189.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

$1,097 IQD 1.7M

27.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$707 IQD 1.1M

$445 IQD 672.6K

58.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 IQD 1.0M

$670 IQD 1.0M

-0.55%

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 An Najaf: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$171 25.8%

An Najaf

$149 26.4% 12.8% $22

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$138 20.8%

An Najaf

$125 22.1% 9.6% $13

Eating Out

Basra

$105 15.8%

An Najaf

$94 16.6% 10.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$100 15%

An Najaf

$83 14.7% 16.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.2%

An Najaf

$63 11.2% 15.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$45 6.8%

An Najaf

$42 7.5% 6.1% $2.7

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.6%

An Najaf

$9.1 * 1.6% 70% $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 $234 in An Najaf. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Basra versus $20 in An Najaf. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $149 – making An Najaf the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇮🇶 An Najaf

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

Same time as Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

1,221,248

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Basra An Najaf 370 km

From you

Basra
An Najaf

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 An Najaf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basra costs about 17% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $995 per month in Basra and $848 in An Najaf. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in An Najaf, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $234 there versus $405 in Basra.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $664 in Basra and $565 in An Najaf. That makes An Najaf about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $109 per month in Basra and $147 in An Najaf. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $664 in Basra and $565 in An Najaf, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.