Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $773 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
Learn more

Berlin Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
Learn more

Sulaymaniyah Living Index

Jump to prices

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin 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 Berlin and in Sulaymaniyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,545 per month in Berlin vs $773 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Berlin $2,545
Sulaymaniyah $773

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Berlin vs $1,194 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Berlin $3,901
Sulaymaniyah $1,194

A family of three spends $5,257 per month in Berlin vs $1,615 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Berlin $5,257
Sulaymaniyah $1,615

Berlin costs about 229% more than Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Berlin sits 90% above the global median, while Sulaymaniyah is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €15.00

$5.07 IQD 7,660

231.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

247.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.94

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

90.06%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$2.88 IQD 4,344

48.26%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$0.50 IQD 759

580.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.79

$0.25 IQD 378

1148.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

$3.93 IQD 5,943

39.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

$2.27 IQD 3,427

100.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.28 IQD 1,935

-0.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.01 IQD 1,519

142.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$1.86 IQD 2,812

77.42%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$1.77 IQD 2,672

151.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.26

$4.96 IQD 7,490

244.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.88

$4.22 IQD 6,382

188.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.33

$15.30 IQD 23.1K

19.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$1.28 IQD 1,935

179.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.28 IQD 1,937

54.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$1.15 IQD 1,737

184.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$0.68 IQD 1,025

460.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$0.56 IQD 847

280.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.73 IQD 1,096

202.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.73 IQD 1,101

104.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$0.50 IQD 752

102.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.37

$2.28 IQD 3,444

360.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$11.23 IQD 17.0K

-39.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.95 IQD 2,949

-31.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.42 IQD 2,141

47.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.60 IQD 902

628.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

$22.68 IQD 34.3K

212.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$2.22 IQD 3,361

138.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.73

$2.34 IQD 3,531

30.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.39

$5.50 IQD 8,306

560.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.69 IQD 1,045

230.43%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$20.9K IQD 31.5M

59.24%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$18.9K IQD 28.6M

106.18%

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

$379 €339

$100 IQD 151.7K

277.93%

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

$19.31 €17.23

$11.49 IQD 17.4K

68.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.20

$28.04 IQD 42.4K

72.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.97

$39.70 IQD 60.0K

1.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.69

$20.09 IQD 30.4K

76.75%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.86

$7.58 IQD 11.5K

104.88%

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

$144 €128

$173 IQD 261.0K

-16.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$2,946 IQD 4.5M

434.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.5

$18.91 IQD 28.6K

400.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.34

$25.19 IQD 38.1K

83.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$43.24 IQD 65.3K

138.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$38.64 IQD 58.4K

265.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,328

$215 IQD 324.7K

592.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €980

$175 IQD 264.2K

527.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,378

$492 IQD 743.9K

441.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,856

$363 IQD 548.8K

472.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,655

$786 IQD 1.2M

990.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,853

$630 IQD 952.4K

762.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,487 €3,112

$584 IQD 882.1K

497.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

5.77

-34.14%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$175 22.5% 84.1% $923

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$140 18% 68.7% $307

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$188 24.2% 46.2% $162

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$123 15.9% 57.2% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$57 7.3% 67.3% $117

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$39 5% 64.3% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$55 7.1% 23.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Berlin versus $215 in Sulaymaniyah. 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 497% higher in Berlin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Berlin versus $23.00 in Sulaymaniyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $188 – making Sulaymaniyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

14:27 2:27 PM

1 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

823,199

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Berlin Sulaymaniyah 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
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

Berlin vs Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 229%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,818 per month in Berlin and $1,160 in Sulaymaniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sulaymaniyah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,545 in Berlin and $773 in Sulaymaniyah. That's a gap of about 229%.

Public transport costs about 213% less in Sulaymaniyah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sulaymaniyah, where all-in costs run around $773, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Sulaymaniyah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sulaymaniyah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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