Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Mosul

For one person, living is cheaper in Mosul: $573 a month against $664 in Basra, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Mosul
Learn more

Mosul Living Index

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Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Mosul

🇮🇶 Iraq

$573

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basra and in Mosul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $664 in Basra versus $573 in Mosul.

Basra $664
Mosul $573

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,194 in Basra versus $906 in Mosul.

Basra $1,194
Mosul $906

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,725 in Basra versus $1,239 in Mosul.

Basra $1,725
Mosul $1,239

Living in Basra is roughly 16% more expensive than in Mosul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Basra 51% lower, Mosul 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 IQD 5,859

$4.07 IQD 6,154

-4.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

$16.30 IQD 24.6K

65.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

$5.21 IQD 7,870

28.60%

Cappuccino

$2.29 IQD 3,462

$1.44 IQD 2,171

59.03%

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

$0.38 IQD 568

$0.37 IQD 552

2.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 458

$0.16 IQD 241

87.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 IQD 4,951

$1.35 IQD 2,045

142.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 IQD 5,541

$1.30 IQD 1,965

182.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,502

$0.72 IQD 1,086

37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 IQD 920

$0.63 IQD 955

-3.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 IQD 1,833

$1.09 IQD 1,645

11.01%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,417

$1.35 IQD 2,045

18.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.32 IQD 9,552

$3.05 IQD 4,611

107.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 IQD 8,161

$3.63 IQD 5,481

48.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$10.20 IQD 15.4K

18.82%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,265

$0.60 IQD 900

40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,784

$0.89 IQD 1,347

32.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 IQD 1,285

$0.61 IQD 915

39.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 834

$0.43 IQD 650

27.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 960

$0.41 IQD 617

56.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 813

$0.41 IQD 621

31.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 IQD 1,211

$0.36 IQD 544

122.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 IQD 512

$0.52 IQD 785

-34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.80 IQD 2,725

$1.67 IQD 2,528

7.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

$6.47 IQD 9,779

73.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 IQD 2,383

$1.47 IQD 2,222

7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,755

$1.67 IQD 2,516

8.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 789

$0.34 IQD 518

52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

$75.0 IQD 113.4K

-78.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 IQD 2,923

$1.29 IQD 1,954

49.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 IQD 2,948

$1.36 IQD 2,051

43.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,576

$3.99 IQD 6,032

58.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 841

$0.44 IQD 661

27.27%

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

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

$15.0K IQD 22.7M

-23.75%

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

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

$17.3K IQD 26.2M

13.36%

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

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

$76.1 IQD 115.0K

-42.29%

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

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

82.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

$23.78 IQD 35.9K

41.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

$20.66 IQD 31.2K

54.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

$22.72 IQD 34.3K

-47.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,906

$8.09 IQD 12.2K

-18.91%

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

$109 IQD 165.2K

$172 IQD 259.6K

-36.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

$2,729 IQD 4.1M

18.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

$10.79 IQD 16.3K

303.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

$16.25 IQD 24.6K

6.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

$23.17 IQD 35.0K

196.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

$22.08 IQD 33.4K

62.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 IQD 611.7K

$142 IQD 215.2K

184.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.3K

$103 IQD 155.9K

33.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 IQD 558.1K

$247 IQD 373.8K

49.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$252 IQD 380.7K

117.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

$730 IQD 1.1M

92.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$707 IQD 1.1M

$502 IQD 758.5K

40.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 IQD 1.0M

$420 IQD 634.2K

58.83%

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 Mosul: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$171 25.8%

Mosul

$127 22.2% 25.6% $44

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$138 20.8%

Mosul

$103 18% 25.2% $35

Eating Out

Basra

$105 15.8%

Mosul

$77 13.4% 26.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$100 15%

Mosul

$112 19.6% 12.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.2%

Mosul

$33 5.7% 56.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$45 6.8%

Mosul

$37 6.4% 18% $8.1

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.6%

Mosul

$84 14.7% 180% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $405 in Basra and $142 in Mosul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basra pays 59% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in Basra vs $16 in Mosul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $127 per month, with Mosul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇮🇶 Mosul

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

Same time as Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

1,683,000

💱 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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Between locations

Basra Mosul 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Basra
Mosul

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 Mosul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basra and Mosul differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($664 vs $573 including rent). Mosul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 59% 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 $142 in Mosul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Basra. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mosul – a meal for two runs $16 versus $27 in Basra. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Mosul gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

It comes down to priorities – Mosul wins on affordability, Basra on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.