Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Ar Ramadi

For one person, living costs are similar in Basra and in Ar Ramadi: $664 and $657 a month, rent and utilities included.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
Learn more

Basra Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Ar Ramadi
Learn more

Ar Ramadi Living Index

Jump to prices

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Ar Ramadi

🇮🇶 Iraq

$657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basra and in Ar Ramadi

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

A single person spends $664 per month in Basra vs $657 in Ar Ramadi, rent included.

Basra $664
Ar Ramadi $657

A couple spends around $1,194 per month in Basra vs $1,037 in Ar Ramadi, rent included.

Basra $1,194
Ar Ramadi $1,037

A family of three spends $1,725 per month in Basra vs $1,416 in Ar Ramadi, rent included.

Basra $1,725
Ar Ramadi $1,416

Basra and Ar Ramadi have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Basra and Ar Ramadi are more affordable than the global median – Basra 51% lower, Ar Ramadi 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 IQD 5,855

$4.74 IQD 7,156

-18.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.91 IQD 40.6K

$22.71 IQD 34.3K

18.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

$5.52 IQD 8,329

21.38%

Cappuccino

$2.29 IQD 3,459

$2.65 IQD 4,005

-13.58%

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

$0.38 IQD 568

$0.32 IQD 478

18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 458

$0.20 IQD 297

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 IQD 4,948

$3.25 IQD 4,913

0.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 IQD 5,537

$2.86 IQD 4,323

28.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,501

$1.03 IQD 1,552

-3.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 IQD 919

$0.79 IQD 1,190

-22.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 IQD 1,832

$1.45 IQD 2,192

-16.55%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,416

$1.55 IQD 2,338

3.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.32 IQD 9,545

$3.97 IQD 6,001

59.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 IQD 8,156

$3.52 IQD 5,321

53.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$11.45 IQD 17.3K

5.85%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,264

$0.96 IQD 1,447

-12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,783

$0.93 IQD 1,405

26.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 IQD 1,284

$0.95 IQD 1,433

-10.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 834

$0.64 IQD 967

-14.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 960

$0.55 IQD 830

16.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 813

$0.57 IQD 861

-5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 IQD 1,211

$0.62 IQD 935

29.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 IQD 512

$0.50 IQD 754

-32.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.80 IQD 2,723

$1.69 IQD 2,559

6.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

$11.33 IQD 17.1K

-1.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 IQD 2,381

$1.51 IQD 2,273

4.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,754

$1.85 IQD 2,789

-1.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 788

$0.32 IQD 488

62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 IQD 2,921

$1.65 IQD 2,497

16.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 IQD 2,946

$1.13 IQD 1,701

72.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,570

$6.08 IQD 9,184

4.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 840

$0.48 IQD 730

16.67%

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

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

$19.0K IQD 28.6M

-39.70%

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

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

$16.0K IQD 24.1M

22.85%

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

$43.92 IQD 66.3K

$83.3 IQD 125.8K

-47.28%

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

$22.28 IQD 33.6K

$12.23 IQD 18.5K

82.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.60 IQD 50.7K

$27.20 IQD 41.1K

23.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

$41.08 IQD 62.0K

-22.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,900

$10.03 IQD 15.1K

-34.60%

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

$109 IQD 165.1K

$149 IQD 225.1K

-26.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

$2,779 IQD 4.2M

16.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

$20.31 IQD 30.7K

114.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

$25.65 IQD 38.7K

-32.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 IQD 103.7K

$63.6 IQD 96.0K

8.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

$41.71 IQD 63.0K

-13.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 IQD 611.3K

$233 IQD 351.5K

73.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.2K

$130 IQD 196.2K

6.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 IQD 557.7K

$375 IQD 566.3K

-1.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 IQD 827.6K

$308 IQD 464.9K

78.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

$807 IQD 1.2M

73.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$707 IQD 1.1M

$483 IQD 729.7K

46.26%

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 Ar Ramadi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$171 25.8%

Ar Ramadi

$157 23.8% 8.6% $15

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$138 20.8%

Ar Ramadi

$130 19.8% 5.8% $8

Eating Out

Basra

$105 15.8%

Ar Ramadi

$110 16.8% 5% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$100 15%

Ar Ramadi

$123 18.7% 23% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.2%

Ar Ramadi

$68 10.4% 8.6% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$45 6.8%

Ar Ramadi

$61 9.3% 36% $16

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.6%

Ar Ramadi

$8.6 * 1.3% 71.6% $22

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 $233 in Ar Ramadi. 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 $23 in Ar Ramadi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $157 – making Ar Ramadi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇮🇶 Ar Ramadi

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

Same time as Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

223,500

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.94 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Basra Ar Ramadi 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Basra
Ar Ramadi

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 Ar Ramadi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $995 per month in Basra and $986 in Ar Ramadi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ar Ramadi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $233 there versus $405 in Basra.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Basra, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Basra and $23 in Ar Ramadi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $664 in Basra and $657 in Ar Ramadi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.