Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bytom and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $956 a month against $1,466 in Bytom, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Bytom
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Bytom Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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Bytom

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,466

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,466 in Bytom versus $956 in Erbil.

Bytom $1,466
Erbil $956

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,099 in Bytom versus $1,421 in Erbil.

Bytom $2,099
Erbil $1,421

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,731 in Bytom versus $1,887 in Erbil.

Bytom $2,731
Erbil $1,887

Living in Bytom is roughly 53% more expensive than in Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bytom is 9% above, Erbil is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.31 zł 40.07

$6.45 IQD 9,753

59.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.40 zł 138

$36.44 IQD 55.1K

-2.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 zł 33.73

$7.09 IQD 10.7K

22.43%

Cappuccino

$3.52 zł 13.69

$3.23 IQD 4,873

8.98%

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

$2.12 zł 8.23

$0.89 IQD 1,338

138.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 zł 7.22

$0.33 IQD 503

463.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 zł 14.15

$5.17 IQD 7,819

-29.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 zł 17.85

$3.85 IQD 5,825

19.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 zł 4.23

$1.06 IQD 1,600

2.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 zł 4.81

$0.73 IQD 1,101

69.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 zł 5.79

$1.52 IQD 2,300

-1.97%

Eggs

$3.25 zł 12.61

$1.57 IQD 2,373

107.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 zł 37.22

$6.90 IQD 10.4K

38.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.30 zł 20.60

$4.27 IQD 6,458

24.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.93 zł 46.36

$12.51 IQD 18.9K

-4.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.06 zł 4.12

$0.99 IQD 1,501

7.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 zł 6.28

$0.99 IQD 1,495

63.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 zł 5.81

$1.03 IQD 1,555

44.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 zł 9.70

$0.65 IQD 988

284.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 zł 3.55

$0.64 IQD 964

42.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 zł 3.04

$0.61 IQD 925

27.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 zł 4.82

$0.60 IQD 909

106.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 zł 2.58

$0.47 IQD 709

40.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 zł 21.92

$2.15 IQD 3,250

162.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.26 zł 24.32

$10.81 IQD 16.3K

-42.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 zł 4.02

$1.47 IQD 2,222

-29.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 zł 6.60

$1.87 IQD 2,825

-9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 zł 4.85

$0.48 IQD 718

160.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.83 zł 131

$38.85 IQD 58.7K

-12.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 zł 7.04

$1.68 IQD 2,531

7.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 zł 2.66

$1.60 IQD 2,421

-57.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.01 zł 38.88

$5.67 IQD 8,566

76.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 zł 6.36

$0.55 IQD 825

198.18%

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

$31.1K zł 120.8K

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

90.27%

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

$27.8K zł 107.9K

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

63.74%

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

$321 zł 1,249

$113 IQD 170.3K

185.17%

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

$7.87 zł 30.58

$12.21 IQD 18.4K

-35.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.68 zł 68.7

$24.30 IQD 36.7K

-27.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.44 zł 149

$56.6 IQD 85.5K

-32.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.62 zł 80.1

$13.33 IQD 20.1K

54.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.16 zł 27.82

$10.00 IQD 15.1K

-28.40%

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

$488 zł 1,898

$315 IQD 476.0K

55.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K zł 46.3K

$2,809 IQD 4.2M

324.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 zł 272

$26.70 IQD 40.3K

161.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.85 zł 120

$39.59 IQD 59.8K

-22.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 zł 346

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

49.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 zł 359

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

55.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 zł 2,060

$423 IQD 639.7K

25.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$496 zł 1,926

$275 IQD 415.2K

80.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 zł 3,903

$700 IQD 1.1M

43.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 zł 3,241

$406 IQD 613.1K

105.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,853 zł 11.1K

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

172.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,239 zł 8,699

$608 IQD 919.3K

268.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$525 IQD 793.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.19

2.53

184.19%

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

Last update for Bytom: October 13, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bytom

$496 33.8%

Erbil

$275 28.7% 44.6% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bytom

$347 23.7%

Erbil

$149 15.6% 57% $198

Groceries & Markets

Bytom

$205 14%

Erbil

$172 18% 16.1% $33

Eating Out

Bytom

$194 13.3%

Erbil

$150 15.7% 22.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Bytom

$127 8.7%

Erbil

$83 8.7% 34.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Bytom

$53 3.6%

Erbil

$77 8% 45.2% $24

Getting Around

Bytom

$44 3%

Erbil

$50 5.3% 14.5% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $530 in Bytom and $423 in Erbil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Bytom vs $36.00 in Erbil. Groceries flip the comparison at $205 vs $172, with Erbil cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Bytom

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

03:28 3:28 AM

04:28 4:28 AM

1 h ahead of Bytom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

162,250

1,713,461

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bytom Erbil 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bytom
Erbil

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

Bytom vs Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erbil wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Bytom. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Erbil the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,199 in Bytom and $1,435 in Erbil to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $530 in Bytom versus $423 in Erbil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,466 per month in Bytom versus $956 in Erbil – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Erbil runs roughly 15% less than in Bytom. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $956 in Erbil versus $1,466 in Bytom, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Erbil but tight or insufficient in Bytom. The gap between the two cities makes Erbil 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, Bytom 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 Erbil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Bytom. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.