Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Duhok

For one person, living is cheaper in Duhok: $603 a month against $726 in Chengdu, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Duhok
Learn more

Duhok Living Index

Jump to prices

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Duhok

🇮🇶 Iraq

$603

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu and in Duhok

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chengdu and in Duhok actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $726 per month in Chengdu vs $603 in Duhok, rent included.

Chengdu $726
Duhok $603

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Chengdu vs $968 in Duhok, rent included.

Chengdu $1,170
Duhok $968

A family of three spends $1,614 per month in Chengdu vs $1,332 in Duhok, rent included.

Chengdu $1,614
Duhok $1,332

Chengdu costs about 20% more than Duhok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chengdu and Duhok are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 47% lower, Duhok 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.43

$3.21 IQD 4,856

-9.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.28 ¥148

$16.19 IQD 24.5K

37.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 ¥32.28

$7.09 IQD 10.7K

-31.59%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ¥19.95

$2.36 IQD 3,561

27.12%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.32 IQD 477

59.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.17 IQD 256

52.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$1.70 IQD 2,567

-11.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.20

$1.96 IQD 2,955

16.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.29

$1.11 IQD 1,681

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$0.69 IQD 1,036

115.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.58

$1.46 IQD 2,199

-32.19%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.70

$1.60 IQD 2,423

0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.31 ¥95.2

$4.87 IQD 7,363

193.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ¥24.25

$2.92 IQD 4,411

24.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 ¥73.4

$10.87 IQD 16.4K

1.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.62

$0.97 IQD 1,467

95.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.23

$0.99 IQD 1,501

40.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.91

$0.74 IQD 1,119

40.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 ¥7.98

$0.68 IQD 1,025

76.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.91

$0.64 IQD 964

15.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.57

$0.60 IQD 906

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.23

$0.60 IQD 912

6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.83

$0.52 IQD 786

11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.53

$1.67 IQD 2,529

120.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 ¥29.09

$10.60 IQD 16.0K

-58.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.58

$1.46 IQD 2,203

-42.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$1.79 IQD 2,712

-17.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.31 IQD 463

-6.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.23 ¥168

$15.35 IQD 23.2K

64.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ¥8.83

$1.68 IQD 2,544

-20.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$1.29 IQD 1,946

-75.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 ¥29.08

$5.54 IQD 8,376

-21.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.48

$0.55 IQD 824

130.91%

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

$19.6K ¥130.7K

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

21.21%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

2.45%

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

$46.65 ¥310

$86.1 IQD 130.2K

-45.84%

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

$9.40 ¥62.6

$8.58 IQD 13.0K

9.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.87 ¥85.6

$24.53 IQD 37.1K

-47.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.11 ¥180

$50.0 IQD 75.6K

-45.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.21 ¥74.6

$26.23 IQD 39.6K

-57.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 ¥41.03

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

-16.73%

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

$1,161 ¥7,725

$108 IQD 162.9K

977.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K ¥101.5K

$2,762 IQD 4.2M

452.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.36 ¥169

$9.99 IQD 15.1K

153.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.52 ¥183

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

39.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.1 ¥380

$30.59 IQD 46.2K

86.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.2 ¥354

$20.18 IQD 30.5K

163.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 ¥2,830

$158 IQD 238.0K

169.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 ¥1,540

$116 IQD 174.5K

100.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$755 ¥5,027

$327 IQD 493.8K

131.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,178

$318 IQD 480.9K

50.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,476 ¥23.1K

$443 IQD 669.5K

684.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,845 ¥12.3K

$358 IQD 541.3K

415.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,278 ¥8,503

$423 IQD 639.8K

201.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

2.53

33.60%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Duhok: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$231 31.9%

Duhok

$116 19.2% 50.1% $116

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$195 26.8%

Duhok

$153 25.4% 21.4% $42

Eating Out

Chengdu

$89 12.3%

Duhok

$90 14.9% 0.6% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 10.1%

Duhok

$36 6% 50.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.5%

Duhok

$119 19.8% 73% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.4%

Duhok

$65 10.8% 64.4% $25

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 4%

Duhok

$25 4.1% 15.7% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $425 in Chengdu versus $158 in Duhok. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chengdu are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chengdu versus $16 in Duhok. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $153 – making Duhok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇮🇶 Duhok

🕒 Local time

10:55 10:55 AM

05:55 5:55 AM

5 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

340,900

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chengdu Duhok 5,590 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
Duhok

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

Chengdu vs Duhok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $726 in Chengdu, $603 in Duhok – Duhok comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,090 per month in Chengdu and $905 in Duhok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Duhok, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $158 there versus $425 in Chengdu.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chengdu and $16 in Duhok. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $726 in Chengdu and $603 in Duhok. That makes Duhok about 17% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $726 in Chengdu and $603 in Duhok, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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