Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $750 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$750

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basra and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $750 in Basra versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Basra $750
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,357 in Basra versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Basra $1,357
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,964 in Basra versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Basra $1,964
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Basra costs roughly 72% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Basra is 44% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.46 IQD 6,745

$20.22 $20.22

-77.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.01 IQD 45.3K

$85.0 $85.0

-64.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 IQD 11.3K

$12.35 $12.35

-39.27%

Cappuccino

$2.64 IQD 3,982

$5.47 $5.47

-51.74%

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

$0.43 IQD 650

$3.82 $3.82

-88.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 IQD 483

$2.50 $2.50

-87.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 IQD 5,603

$8.06 $8.06

-53.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 IQD 6,450

$8.99 $8.99

-52.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,679

$1.13 $1.13

-1.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,034

$3.78 $3.78

-82.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 IQD 2,120

$3.25 $3.25

-56.92%

Eggs

$1.81 IQD 2,732

$4.14 $4.14

-56.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.57 IQD 11.4K

$13.08 $13.08

-42.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.27 IQD 9,479

$14.31 $14.31

-56.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 IQD 21.1K

$15.96 $15.96

-12.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,551

$4.38 $4.38

-76.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 IQD 1,981

$1.45 $1.45

-9.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,553

$4.54 $4.54

-77.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 973

$4.19 $4.19

-84.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 IQD 1,094

$2.63 $2.63

-72.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 IQD 1,009

$2.36 $2.36

-71.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 IQD 1,404

$1.76 $1.76

-47.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 IQD 624

$2.16 $2.16

-81.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.12 IQD 3,204

$9.81 $9.81

-78.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

$14.72 $14.72

-17.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 IQD 2,453

$2.78 $2.78

-41.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,960

$3.48 $3.48

-43.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 IQD 830

$1.49 $1.49

-63.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.42 IQD 29.3K

$40.51 $40.51

-52.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 IQD 3,384

$2.67 $2.67

-16.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.33 IQD 3,518

$1.58 $1.58

47.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 IQD 11.3K

$35.29 $35.29

-78.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 IQD 917

$0.99 $0.99

-38.38%

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

$13.2K IQD 20.0M

$35.8K $35.8K

-63.03%

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

$22.5K IQD 34.0M

$27.2K $27.2K

-17.20%

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

$50.3 IQD 76.1K

$219 $219

-77.04%

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

$25.65 IQD 38.8K

$58.0 $58.0

-55.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.51 IQD 58.2K

$68.4 $68.4

-43.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.03 IQD 54.4K

$57.9 $57.9

-37.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.80 IQD 20.9K

$14.82 $14.82

-6.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.61 IQD 11.5K

$14.13 $14.13

-46.14%

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

$128 IQD 192.9K

$1,509 $1,509

-91.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,814 IQD 5.8M

$21.5K $21.5K

-82.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.10 IQD 74.2K

$51.7 $51.7

-4.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.77 IQD 31.4K

$44.05 $44.05

-52.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 IQD 117.3K

$85.1 $85.1

-8.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.13 IQD 63.7K

$105 $105

-59.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$462 IQD 698.8K

$1,932 $1,932

-76.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 IQD 227.9K

$1,272 $1,272

-88.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 IQD 1.3M

$3,670 $3,670

-76.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 IQD 941.2K

$2,525 $2,525

-75.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,615 IQD 2.4M

$7,617 $7,617

-78.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$800 IQD 1.2M

$3,199 $3,199

-74.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$749 IQD 1.1M

$5,105 $5,105

-85.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

6.79

-50.96%

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

Last update for Basra: October 5, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$196 26%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 106% $207

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$151 20%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 744% $1.1K

Eating Out

Basra

$120 15.9%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 190% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$115 15.2%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 202% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$85 11.3%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 50.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$51 6.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 68.1% $35

Getting Around

Basra

$35 4.7%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 60.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $462 in Basra and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 581% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Basra vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $403 per month, with Basra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

07:47 7:47 AM

23:47 11:47 PM

8 h behind Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

974,447

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,695 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Basra Austin, TX 12,340 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Basra
Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basra wins on cost – living expenses run 260% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Basra the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 581% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $462 in Basra versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $750 per month in Basra versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 260% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Basra runs roughly 109% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $750 in Basra versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Basra but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Basra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Basra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 260% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.