Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Iraq

Name: Iraq
Address: IQ

For one person, living is cheaper in Iraq: $720 a month against $791 in China, rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Iraq
Learn more

Iraq Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Iraq

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $720 in Iraq.

China $791
Iraq $720

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $1,090 in Iraq.

China $1,251
Iraq $1,090

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $1,460 in Iraq.

China $1,711
Iraq $1,460

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $500–$1,048 in Iraq. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in China is roughly 10% more expensive than in Iraq on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Iraq 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$3.87 IQD 5,843

-23.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$19.69 IQD 29.7K

12.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.60

$6.54 IQD 9,879

-20.49%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.74

$2.43 IQD 3,673

22.22%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$0.41 IQD 614

17.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$0.17 IQD 262

76.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$3.39 IQD 5,119

-68.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

$3.26 IQD 4,923

-30.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$1.01 IQD 1,520

78.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

$0.69 IQD 1,048

143.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.38 IQD 2,083

-33.33%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.56 IQD 2,357

3.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$4.06 IQD 6,133

229.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.28

$3.70 IQD 5,593

-9.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$11.26 IQD 17.0K

0.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$0.92 IQD 1,396

97.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$1.00 IQD 1,507

31.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$0.89 IQD 1,343

67.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$0.60 IQD 913

111.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$0.58 IQD 879

22.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.57 IQD 862

63.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.53 IQD 801

16.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$0.44 IQD 670

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

$1.69 IQD 2,555

123.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.8

$10.22 IQD 15.4K

18.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$1.65 IQD 2,498

-49.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$1.82 IQD 2,755

-7.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.34 IQD 514

-14.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$19.96 IQD 30.1K

-10.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$2.03 IQD 3,067

-26.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$1.47 IQD 2,219

-74.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.24

$5.20 IQD 7,858

36.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$0.56 IQD 852

125.00%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

16.18%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

5.38%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$96.4 IQD 145.6K

-43.41%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$13.50 IQD 20.4K

-35.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.7

$29.17 IQD 44.0K

-62.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$30.82 IQD 46.5K

32.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.4

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

-11.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.12

$6.94 IQD 10.5K

-2.31%

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

$517 ¥3,438

$158 IQD 238.0K

227.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$2,605 IQD 3.9M

660.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$19.03 IQD 28.7K

144.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$23.52 IQD 35.5K

51.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$52.2 IQD 78.8K

47.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$38.65 IQD 58.4K

107.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$273 IQD 411.7K

41.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,561

$187 IQD 282.3K

25.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,469

$508 IQD 767.8K

61.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,015

$358 IQD 540.2K

26.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$1,491 IQD 2.3M

215.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$685 IQD 1.0M

246.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,275

$492 IQD 743.4K

122.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

6.32

-45.25%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Iraq: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Iraq

$187 26% 20.3% $48

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Iraq

$153 21.3% 27.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Iraq

$60 8.3% 44.3% $48

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Iraq

$106 14.7% 19.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Iraq

$139 19.3% 87% $65

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Iraq

$45 6.2% 17.7% $9.6

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Iraq

$31 4.3% 37.4% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $225 in Iraq. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $537 in Baghdad.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $491 in Iraq. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 32% higher in China.

Public transport is 61% more expensive in Iraq.

Salaries are 78% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇮🇶 Iraq

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

10:18 10:18 AM

5 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

38,274,618

💱 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 = 5.95 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,510 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,681 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Iraq 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Iraq

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

China vs Iraq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $720 in Iraq, Iraq comes out about 9% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $298 in China and $225 in Iraq. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Iraq, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in China it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Iraq wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.