Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Baghdadi

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdadi: $641 a month against $662 in Basra, rent and utilities included – about $250 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Baghdadi
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Baghdadi Living Index

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Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$662

/mo nomad

Baghdadi

🇮🇶 Iraq

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basra and in Baghdadi

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

A single person spends $662 per month in Basra vs $641 in Baghdadi, rent included.

Basra $662
Baghdadi $641

A couple spends around $1,191 per month in Basra vs $978 in Baghdadi, rent included.

Basra $1,191
Baghdadi $978

A family of three spends $1,719 per month in Basra vs $1,316 in Baghdadi, rent included.

Basra $1,719
Baghdadi $1,316

Basra costs about 3% more than Baghdadi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Basra and Baghdadi are more affordable than the global median – Basra 51% lower, Baghdadi 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 IQD 6,082

$4.02 IQD 6,071

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.47 IQD 40.0K

$13.93 IQD 21.1K

90.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 IQD 10.0K

$6.17 IQD 9,325

7.29%

Cappuccino

$2.17 IQD 3,285

$1.88 IQD 2,846

15.43%

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

$0.37 IQD 554

$0.42 IQD 628

-11.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 IQD 417

$0.18 IQD 274

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 IQD 4,916

$3.25 IQD 4,906

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 IQD 5,393

$2.57 IQD 3,890

38.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 IQD 1,389

$1.03 IQD 1,553

-10.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 IQD 902

$0.48 IQD 729

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 IQD 1,842

$2.75 IQD 4,159

-55.64%

Eggs

$1.62 IQD 2,448

$1.85 IQD 2,790

-12.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 IQD 9,681

$3.83 IQD 5,790

67.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.58 IQD 8,429

$3.29 IQD 4,969

69.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.22 IQD 18.5K

$8.24 IQD 12.5K

48.30%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,267

$0.94 IQD 1,418

-10.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 IQD 1,753

$1.00 IQD 1,507

16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 IQD 1,342

$0.93 IQD 1,406

-4.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 910

$0.68 IQD 1,023

-11.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,044

$0.60 IQD 902

15.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 846

$0.67 IQD 1,009

-16.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 IQD 1,236

$0.51 IQD 777

60.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 547

$0.54 IQD 814

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 IQD 2,790

$1.70 IQD 2,569

8.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 IQD 16.9K

$11.28 IQD 17.0K

-1.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 IQD 2,365

$1.59 IQD 2,401

-1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 IQD 2,717

$1.81 IQD 2,740

-0.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 762

$0.34 IQD 518

47.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.56 IQD 25.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 IQD 3,056

$1.80 IQD 2,727

12.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 IQD 3,023

$1.29 IQD 1,948

55.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,581

$5.64 IQD 8,529

12.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 838

$0.58 IQD 875

-5.17%

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

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

-28.65%

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

$19.9K IQD 30.1M

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

17.56%

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

$43.26 IQD 65.4K

$87.6 IQD 132.3K

-50.59%

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

$21.81 IQD 33.0K

$13.62 IQD 20.6K

60.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.04 IQD 51.4K

$28.52 IQD 43.1K

19.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.25 IQD 47.2K

$36.52 IQD 55.2K

-14.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.28 IQD 18.6K

Cinema Ticket

$6.69 IQD 10.1K

$9.06 IQD 13.7K

-26.16%

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

$107 IQD 161.7K

$143 IQD 216.5K

-25.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,309 IQD 5.0M

$2,771 IQD 4.2M

19.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.15 IQD 65.2K

$21.10 IQD 31.9K

104.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.34 IQD 26.2K

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

-24.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

$60.6 IQD 91.6K

10.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.13 IQD 54.6K

$37.63 IQD 56.9K

-3.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 IQD 612.0K

$207 IQD 313.2K

95.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.2K

$136 IQD 205.3K

1.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 IQD 559.6K

$382 IQD 576.4K

-2.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 IQD 823.8K

$313 IQD 472.7K

74.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,398 IQD 2.1M

$870 IQD 1.3M

60.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$704 IQD 1.1M

$487 IQD 735.4K

44.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$672 IQD 1.0M

$499 IQD 753.6K

34.75%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Baghdadi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$173 26%

Baghdadi

$150 23.4% 13.2% $23

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$138 20.8%

Baghdadi

$136 21.2% 1.4% $1.9

Eating Out

Basra

$104 15.7%

Baghdadi

$97 15.2% 6.8% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$99 15%

Baghdadi

$130 20.2% 30.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.1%

Baghdadi

$64 10% 13% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$45 6.7%

Baghdadi

$55 8.5% 22.5% $10

Getting Around

Basra

$31 4.6%

Baghdadi

$9.6 * 1.5% 68.6% $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 $207 in Baghdadi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 35% higher in Basra. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Basra versus $14 in Baghdadi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $150 – making Baghdadi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇮🇶 Baghdadi

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

Same time as Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Basra Baghdadi 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Basra
Baghdadi

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 Baghdadi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Basra is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $994 per month in Basra and $961 in Baghdadi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Baghdadi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $207 there versus $405 in Basra.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Basra and $14 in Baghdadi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Basra, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $662 in Basra and $641 in Baghdadi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

If budget matters most, go with Baghdadi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Basra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.