Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $773 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
Learn more

Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $773 in Sulaymaniyah.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Sulaymaniyah $773

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,194 in Sulaymaniyah.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Sulaymaniyah $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,615 in Sulaymaniyah.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Sulaymaniyah $1,615

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 118% more expensive than in Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Sulaymaniyah is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$5.07 IQD 7,660

269.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

181.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

82.95%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.88 IQD 4,344

38.19%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.50 IQD 759

310.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.25 IQD 378

520.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$3.93 IQD 5,943

-2.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$2.27 IQD 3,427

102.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.28 IQD 1,935

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.01 IQD 1,519

143.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.86 IQD 2,812

-12.37%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$1.77 IQD 2,672

63.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$4.96 IQD 7,490

114.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.22 IQD 6,382

136.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$15.30 IQD 23.1K

-10.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$1.28 IQD 1,935

114.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.28 IQD 1,937

70.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.15 IQD 1,737

26.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$0.68 IQD 1,025

192.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.56 IQD 847

121.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$0.73 IQD 1,096

73.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.73 IQD 1,101

132.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.50 IQD 752

246.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$2.28 IQD 3,444

83.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$11.23 IQD 17.0K

-48.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.95 IQD 2,949

7.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.42 IQD 2,141

95.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.60 IQD 902

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$22.68 IQD 34.3K

19.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$2.22 IQD 3,361

-27.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$2.34 IQD 3,531

-58.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$5.50 IQD 8,306

40.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.69 IQD 1,045

97.10%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$20.9K IQD 31.5M

34.19%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$18.9K IQD 28.6M

82.30%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$100 IQD 151.7K

114.78%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$11.49 IQD 17.4K

122.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$28.04 IQD 42.4K

11.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$39.70 IQD 60.0K

25.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$20.09 IQD 30.4K

-15.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$7.58 IQD 11.5K

37.60%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$173 IQD 261.0K

169.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$2,946 IQD 4.5M

207.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$18.91 IQD 28.6K

545.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$25.19 IQD 38.1K

286.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$43.24 IQD 65.3K

170.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$38.64 IQD 58.4K

261.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$215 IQD 324.7K

255.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$175 IQD 264.2K

188.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$492 IQD 743.9K

224.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$363 IQD 548.8K

226.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$786 IQD 1.2M

240.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$630 IQD 952.4K

194.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$584 IQD 882.1K

63.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

5.77

892.20%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$175 22.5% 65.4% $330

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Sulaymaniyah

$188 24.2% 33.7% $96

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$123 15.9% 55.8% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$140 18% 48.7% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Sulaymaniyah

$57 7.3% 73.5% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$55 7.1% 22.4% $16

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Sulaymaniyah

$39 5% 6.4% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $215 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 63% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $23.00 in Sulaymaniyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $188 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

09:43 9:43 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

823,199

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,695 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Sulaymaniyah 13,280 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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

Buenos Aires vs Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Sulaymaniyah differ by about 118% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $773 including rent). Sulaymaniyah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Buenos Aires, 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $215 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $173 in Sulaymaniyah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $773 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sulaymaniyah but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Sulaymaniyah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Buenos Aires 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 Sulaymaniyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.