Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and An Nasiriyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $664 a month against $731 in An Nasiriyah, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in An Nasiriyah 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 An Nasiriyah
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An Nasiriyah Living Index

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Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

An Nasiriyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $664 per month in Basra vs $731 in An Nasiriyah, rent included.

Basra $664
An Nasiriyah $731

A couple spends around $1,194 per month in Basra vs $1,024 in An Nasiriyah, rent included.

Basra $1,194
An Nasiriyah $1,024

A family of three spends $1,725 per month in Basra vs $1,317 in An Nasiriyah, rent included.

Basra $1,725
An Nasiriyah $1,317

Basra is about 9% cheaper than An Nasiriyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Basra and An Nasiriyah are more affordable than the global median – Basra 51% lower, An Nasiriyah 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 IQD 5,859

$2.77 IQD 4,188

40.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

$10.42 IQD 15.8K

158.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

$5.81 IQD 8,777

15.32%

Cappuccino

$2.29 IQD 3,462

$2.35 IQD 3,547

-2.55%

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

$0.38 IQD 568

$0.34 IQD 518

11.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 458

$0.17 IQD 255

76.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 IQD 4,951

$3.35 IQD 5,055

-2.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 IQD 5,541

$3.38 IQD 5,110

8.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,502

$0.84 IQD 1,271

17.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 IQD 920

$0.68 IQD 1,032

-10.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 IQD 1,833

$0.86 IQD 1,295

40.70%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,417

$1.61 IQD 2,435

-0.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.32 IQD 9,552

$2.51 IQD 3,797

151.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 IQD 8,161

$3.77 IQD 5,692

43.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$8.48 IQD 12.8K

42.92%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,265

$0.95 IQD 1,439

-11.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,784

$0.90 IQD 1,365

31.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 IQD 1,285

$0.74 IQD 1,112

14.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 834

$0.37 IQD 560

48.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 960

$0.34 IQD 517

88.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 813

$0.49 IQD 734

10.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 IQD 1,211

$0.48 IQD 724

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 IQD 512

$0.41 IQD 613

-17.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.80 IQD 2,725

$1.29 IQD 1,943

39.53%

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

$1.93 IQD 2,914

-18.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,755

$1.91 IQD 2,882

-4.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 789

$0.24 IQD 360

116.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 IQD 2,923

$2.02 IQD 3,053

-4.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 IQD 2,948

$1.34 IQD 2,026

45.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,576

$1.97 IQD 2,970

221.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 841

$0.57 IQD 862

-1.75%

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

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

$16.3K IQD 24.6M

-29.83%

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

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

$15.6K IQD 23.6M

25.69%

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

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

$194 IQD 292.8K

-77.34%

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

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$19.64 IQD 29.7K

13.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

$38.14 IQD 57.6K

-11.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

$16.29 IQD 24.6K

95.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,906

$9.99 IQD 15.1K

-34.33%

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

$109 IQD 165.2K

$143 IQD 216.4K

-23.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

$3,244 IQD 4.9M

-0.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

$9.87 IQD 14.9K

341.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

$33.29 IQD 50.3K

-47.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

$23.55 IQD 35.6K

191.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

$33.11 IQD 50.0K

8.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 IQD 611.7K

$239 IQD 361.8K

69.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.3K

$158 IQD 238.2K

-12.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 IQD 558.1K

$320 IQD 482.8K

15.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$320 IQD 484.1K

71.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

$904 IQD 1.4M

55.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$707 IQD 1.1M

$428 IQD 646.6K

65.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 IQD 1.0M

$665 IQD 1.0M

0.31%

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 Nasiriyah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$171 25.8%

An Nasiriyah

$137 18.8% 19.8% $34

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$138 20.8%

An Nasiriyah

$158 21.6% 14.4% $20

Eating Out

Basra

$105 15.8%

An Nasiriyah

$93 12.8% 11.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$100 15%

An Nasiriyah

$252 34.4% 152% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.2%

An Nasiriyah

$45 6.2% 39.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$45 6.8%

An Nasiriyah

$36 5% 19.3% $8.7

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.6%

An Nasiriyah

$9.7 * 1.3% 67.9% $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 $239 in An Nasiriyah. 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 $10 in An Nasiriyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $137 – making An Nasiriyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇮🇶 An Nasiriyah

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

Same time as Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

745,000

💱 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 An Nasiriyah 160 km

From you

Basra
An Nasiriyah

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 Nasiriyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $664 in Basra, $731 in An Nasiriyah – Basra comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $995 per month in Basra and $1,096 in An Nasiriyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in An Nasiriyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $239 there versus $405 in Basra.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $664 in Basra and $731 in An Nasiriyah. That makes Basra about 9% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $109 per month in Basra and $143 in An Nasiriyah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $664 in Basra and $731 in An Nasiriyah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.