Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Ba'qubah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ba’qubah: $511 a month against $664 in Basra, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Basra despite lower rent and utilities.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Ba'qubah
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Ba'qubah Living Index

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Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Ba'qubah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basra and in Ba'qubah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $664 in Basra versus $511 in Ba’qubah.

Basra $664
Ba'qubah $511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,194 in Basra versus $819 in Ba’qubah.

Basra $1,194
Ba'qubah $819

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,725 in Basra versus $1,128 in Ba’qubah.

Basra $1,725
Ba'qubah $1,128

Living in Basra is roughly 30% more expensive than in Ba’qubah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Basra 51% lower, Ba’qubah 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 IQD 5,859

$4.16 IQD 6,289

-6.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

$13.19 IQD 19.9K

104.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

$5.46 IQD 8,250

22.71%

Cappuccino

$2.29 IQD 3,462

$1.03 IQD 1,555

122.33%

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

$0.38 IQD 568

$0.48 IQD 726

-20.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 458

$0.16 IQD 246

87.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 IQD 4,951

$1.60 IQD 2,421

105.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 IQD 5,541

$4.04 IQD 6,101

-9.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,502

$0.95 IQD 1,432

4.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 IQD 920

$0.52 IQD 780

17.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 IQD 1,833

$0.95 IQD 1,438

27.37%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,417

$1.24 IQD 1,873

29.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.32 IQD 9,552

$1.96 IQD 2,966

222.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 IQD 8,161

$2.11 IQD 3,183

155.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

34.07%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,265

$0.87 IQD 1,310

-3.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,784

$0.96 IQD 1,456

22.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 IQD 1,285

$0.82 IQD 1,237

3.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 834

$0.49 IQD 737

12.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 960

$0.52 IQD 791

23.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 813

$0.60 IQD 901

-10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 IQD 1,211

$0.43 IQD 649

86.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 IQD 512

$0.19 IQD 287

78.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.80 IQD 2,725

$2.13 IQD 3,216

-15.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

$10.90 IQD 16.5K

2.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 IQD 2,383

$1.42 IQD 2,153

11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,755

$1.84 IQD 2,782

-1.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 789

$0.32 IQD 477

62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 IQD 2,923

$1.69 IQD 2,550

14.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 IQD 2,948

$1.56 IQD 2,358

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,576

$4.58 IQD 6,926

38.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 841

$0.29 IQD 431

93.10%

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

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

-30.58%

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

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

$17.2K IQD 26.0M

14.02%

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

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

$50.2 IQD 75.9K

-12.58%

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

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

84.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

$22.87 IQD 34.6K

46.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

$16.35 IQD 24.7K

94.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,906

$3.38 IQD 5,107

94.08%

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

$109 IQD 165.2K

$23.01 IQD 34.8K

375.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

$550 IQD 831.0K

488.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

$16.83 IQD 25.4K

158.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

$16.36 IQD 24.7K

6.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

15.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

$23.44 IQD 35.4K

53.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 IQD 611.7K

$205 IQD 309.3K

97.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.3K

$137 IQD 206.9K

0.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 IQD 558.1K

$381 IQD 576.1K

-3.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$348 IQD 525.6K

57.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

$860 IQD 1.3M

63.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$707 IQD 1.1M

$489 IQD 738.4K

44.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 IQD 1.0M

$626 IQD 946.4K

6.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

2.53

62.85%

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

Last update for Basra: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ba'qubah: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$171 25.8%

Ba'qubah

$122 23.9% 28.7% $49

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$138 20.8%

Ba'qubah

$137 26.8% 0.7% $1

Eating Out

Basra

$105 15.8%

Ba'qubah

$81 15.8% 23.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$100 15%

Ba'qubah

$85 16.7% 14.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.2%

Ba'qubah

$52 10.2% 29.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$45 6.8%

Ba'qubah

$23 4.5% 48.6% $22

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.6%

Ba'qubah

$11 * 2.1% 64.4% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $405 in Basra and $205 in Ba’qubah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basra pays 6% 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: $27 in Basra vs $13 in Ba’qubah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $122 per month, with Ba’qubah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇮🇶 Ba'qubah

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

Same time as Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

268,866

💱 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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Basra Ba'qubah 470 km

From you

Basra
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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 Ba'qubah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ba’qubah is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Basra, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $405 in Basra versus $205 in Ba’qubah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $109 in Basra versus $23 in Ba’qubah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ba’qubah – a meal for two runs $13 versus $27 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 Ba’qubah 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 – Ba’qubah wins on affordability, Basra on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.