Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $652 a month against $956 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$652

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basra and in Erbil

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $652 in Basra versus $956 in Erbil.

Basra $652
Erbil $956

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,179 in Basra versus $1,421 in Erbil.

Basra $1,179
Erbil $1,421

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,706 in Basra versus $1,887 in Erbil.

Basra $1,706
Erbil $1,887

Living in Basra costs roughly 32% less than in Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Basra 52% lower, Erbil 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 IQD 6,134

$6.45 IQD 9,753

-37.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.00 IQD 39.3K

$36.44 IQD 55.1K

-28.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.42 IQD 9,706

$7.09 IQD 10.7K

-9.45%

Cappuccino

$2.21 IQD 3,342

$3.23 IQD 4,873

-31.58%

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

$0.36 IQD 551

$0.89 IQD 1,338

-59.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 455

$0.33 IQD 503

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 IQD 4,849

$5.17 IQD 7,819

-37.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 IQD 5,394

$3.85 IQD 5,825

-7.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,460

$1.06 IQD 1,600

-8.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 IQD 841

$0.73 IQD 1,101

-23.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 IQD 1,895

$1.52 IQD 2,300

-17.76%

Eggs

$1.62 IQD 2,442

$1.57 IQD 2,373

3.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.28 IQD 9,486

$6.90 IQD 10.4K

-8.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 IQD 8,061

$4.27 IQD 6,458

24.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$12.51 IQD 18.9K

-3.12%

Apples (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,356

$0.99 IQD 1,501

-9.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,787

$0.99 IQD 1,495

19.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,266

$1.03 IQD 1,555

-18.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 904

$0.65 IQD 988

-7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,044

$0.64 IQD 964

7.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 IQD 802

$0.61 IQD 925

-13.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 IQD 1,160

$0.60 IQD 909

28.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 546

$0.47 IQD 709

-23.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 IQD 2,705

$2.15 IQD 3,250

-16.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 IQD 16.5K

$10.81 IQD 16.3K

1.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,204

$1.47 IQD 2,222

-0.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 IQD 2,617

$1.87 IQD 2,825

-7.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 756

$0.48 IQD 718

4.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.76 IQD 25.3K

$38.85 IQD 58.7K

-56.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 IQD 2,946

$1.68 IQD 2,531

16.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 IQD 2,930

$1.60 IQD 2,421

21.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.35 IQD 9,594

$5.67 IQD 8,566

11.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 849

$0.55 IQD 825

1.82%

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

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

-28.19%

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

$19.5K IQD 29.5M

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

15.01%

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

$44.55 IQD 67.3K

$113 IQD 170.3K

-60.47%

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

$22.24 IQD 33.6K

$12.21 IQD 18.4K

82.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.88 IQD 51.2K

$24.30 IQD 36.7K

39.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.91 IQD 46.7K

$56.6 IQD 85.5K

-45.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.94 IQD 18.0K

$13.33 IQD 20.1K

-10.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 IQD 9,898

$10.00 IQD 15.1K

-34.50%

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

$109 IQD 164.7K

$315 IQD 476.0K

-65.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,250 IQD 4.9M

$2,809 IQD 4.2M

15.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.34 IQD 65.5K

$26.70 IQD 40.3K

62.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.27 IQD 26.1K

$39.59 IQD 59.8K

-56.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

12.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.95 IQD 54.3K

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

-39.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 IQD 617.4K

$423 IQD 639.7K

-3.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 IQD 195.6K

$275 IQD 415.2K

-52.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 IQD 1.1M

$700 IQD 1.1M

6.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 IQD 814.7K

$406 IQD 613.1K

32.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,363 IQD 2.1M

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

30.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$688 IQD 1.0M

$608 IQD 919.3K

13.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 IQD 979.0K

$525 IQD 793.9K

23.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

2.53

31.62%

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

Last update for Basra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$170 26%

Erbil

$172 18% 1.4% $2.4

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$129 19.9%

Erbil

$275 28.7% 112% $145

Eating Out

Basra

$104 16%

Erbil

$150 15.7% 44.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$101 15.4%

Erbil

$149 15.6% 48.2% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.3%

Erbil

$83 8.7% 13.2% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$44 6.8%

Erbil

$77 8% 74% $33

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.7%

Erbil

$50 5.3% 65.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Basra and $423 in Erbil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basra pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26.00 in Basra vs $36.00 in Erbil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $172 per month, with Basra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

Same time as Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

1,713,461

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Basra Erbil 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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 Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basra and Erbil differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($652 vs $956 including rent). Basra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 23% 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: $409 in Basra versus $423 in Erbil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Erbil. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Basra – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $36.00 in Erbil. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Basra 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.

Safety-wise, Basra and Erbil are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Basra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Erbil. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.