Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living costs are similar in Basra and in Sulaymaniyah: $652 and $668 a month, rent and utilities included.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$652

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basra and in Sulaymaniyah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $652 in Basra versus $668 in Sulaymaniyah.

Basra $652
Sulaymaniyah $668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,179 in Basra versus $1,038 in Sulaymaniyah.

Basra $1,179
Sulaymaniyah $1,038

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,706 in Basra versus $1,407 in Sulaymaniyah.

Basra $1,706
Sulaymaniyah $1,407

Living in Basra costs roughly 2% less than in Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Basra 52% lower, Sulaymaniyah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 IQD 6,134

$4.41 IQD 6,664

-7.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.00 IQD 39.3K

$20.08 IQD 30.3K

29.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.42 IQD 9,706

$6.02 IQD 9,090

6.64%

Cappuccino

$2.21 IQD 3,342

$2.38 IQD 3,595

-7.14%

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

$0.36 IQD 551

$0.42 IQD 639

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 455

$0.22 IQD 332

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 IQD 4,849

$3.25 IQD 4,910

-1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 IQD 5,394

$1.96 IQD 2,968

82.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,460

$1.10 IQD 1,659

-11.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 IQD 841

$0.86 IQD 1,300

-34.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 IQD 1,895

$1.65 IQD 2,494

-24.24%

Eggs

$1.62 IQD 2,442

$1.48 IQD 2,232

9.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.28 IQD 9,486

$4.46 IQD 6,743

40.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 IQD 8,061

$3.53 IQD 5,334

50.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$12.97 IQD 19.6K

-6.55%

Apples (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,356

$1.14 IQD 1,730

-21.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,787

$1.07 IQD 1,619

10.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,266

$1.01 IQD 1,524

-16.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 904

$0.58 IQD 878

3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,044

$0.49 IQD 739

40.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 IQD 802

$0.59 IQD 892

-10.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 IQD 1,160

$0.63 IQD 950

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 546

$0.45 IQD 682

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 IQD 2,705

$2.00 IQD 3,021

-10.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 IQD 16.5K

$9.99 IQD 15.1K

9.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,204

$1.67 IQD 2,527

-12.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 IQD 2,617

$1.26 IQD 1,899

37.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 756

$0.51 IQD 769

-1.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.76 IQD 25.3K

$19.73 IQD 29.8K

-15.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 IQD 2,946

$1.95 IQD 2,952

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 IQD 2,930

$1.94 IQD 2,925

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.35 IQD 9,594

$4.60 IQD 6,957

38.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 849

$0.57 IQD 857

-1.75%

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

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

-33.36%

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

$19.5K IQD 29.5M

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

17.53%

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

$44.55 IQD 67.3K

$87.2 IQD 131.7K

-48.89%

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

$22.24 IQD 33.6K

$10.17 IQD 15.4K

118.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.88 IQD 51.2K

$23.75 IQD 35.9K

42.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.91 IQD 46.7K

$34.59 IQD 52.3K

-10.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.94 IQD 18.0K

$17.49 IQD 26.4K

-31.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 IQD 9,898

$6.66 IQD 10.1K

-1.65%

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

$109 IQD 164.7K

$150 IQD 227.3K

-27.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,250 IQD 4.9M

$2,553 IQD 3.9M

27.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.34 IQD 65.5K

$16.58 IQD 25.0K

161.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.27 IQD 26.1K

$21.70 IQD 32.8K

-20.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

$37.04 IQD 56.0K

80.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.95 IQD 54.3K

$33.18 IQD 50.1K

8.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 IQD 617.4K

$187 IQD 283.1K

118.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 IQD 195.6K

$149 IQD 225.8K

-13.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 IQD 1.1M

$410 IQD 619.7K

82.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 IQD 814.7K

$313 IQD 472.8K

72.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,363 IQD 2.1M

$688 IQD 1.0M

98.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$688 IQD 1.0M

$530 IQD 800.5K

29.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 IQD 979.0K

$487 IQD 735.7K

33.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

5.77

-42.29%

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

Last update for Basra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$170 26%

Sulaymaniyah

$163 24.4% 4.2% $7.1

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$129 19.9%

Sulaymaniyah

$149 22.4% 15.4% $20

Eating Out

Basra

$104 16%

Sulaymaniyah

$105 15.7% 0.5% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$101 15.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$121 18.1% 20.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.3% 33.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$44 6.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$48 7.2% 8.8% $3.9

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$33 5% 9.8% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Basra and $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basra pays 33% 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 $20.00 in Sulaymaniyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $163 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

Same time as Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

823,199

💱 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 Sulaymaniyah 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Basra
Sulaymaniyah

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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basra and Sulaymaniyah differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($652 vs $668 including rent). Basra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% 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 $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Sulaymaniyah pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Basra – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $20.00 in Sulaymaniyah. 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 Sulaymaniyah 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 2% less than in Sulaymaniyah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.