Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $1,148 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Baghdad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $520 in Delhi versus $1,148 in Baghdad.

Delhi $520
Baghdad $1,148

Estimated couple costs with rent: $858 in Delhi versus $1,702 in Baghdad.

Delhi $858
Baghdad $1,702

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,195 in Delhi versus $2,256 in Baghdad.

Delhi $1,195
Baghdad $2,256

Living in Delhi costs roughly 55% less than in Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Delhi 61% lower, Baghdad 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ₹355

$4.87 IQD 7,354

-24.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.95 ₹2,027

$34.91 IQD 52.7K

-39.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹362

$7.52 IQD 11.4K

-50.27%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹226

$3.19 IQD 4,827

-26.96%

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

$0.37 ₹35.82

$0.36 IQD 548

2.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.91

$0.25 IQD 379

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₹195

$3.83 IQD 5,788

-47.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

$3.90 IQD 5,892

-18.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹65.9

$1.03 IQD 1,563

-33.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

$0.85 IQD 1,284

-38.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₹80.0

$1.53 IQD 2,308

-45.75%

Eggs

$1.07 ₹104

$1.92 IQD 2,901

-44.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.43 ₹428

$3.95 IQD 5,965

12.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ₹326

$4.60 IQD 6,954

-26.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.07 IQD 21.3K

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₹192

$1.14 IQD 1,722

74.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹70.1

$1.09 IQD 1,647

-33.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₹98.4

$1.04 IQD 1,567

-1.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹50.1

$0.74 IQD 1,125

-29.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 ₹25.96

$0.68 IQD 1,034

-60.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.42

$0.64 IQD 970

-42.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

$0.66 IQD 1,003

-34.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹30.39

$0.68 IQD 1,020

-54.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

$1.93 IQD 2,922

154.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹808

$13.58 IQD 20.5K

-38.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₹159

$2.13 IQD 3,219

-23.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₹261

$2.18 IQD 3,296

23.85%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹44.04

$0.68 IQD 1,030

-32.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

$23.19 IQD 35.0K

-34.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

$2.25 IQD 3,402

-54.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹26.38

$1.57 IQD 2,373

-82.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ₹148

$7.68 IQD 11.6K

-80.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹102

$0.68 IQD 1,030

54.41%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

$19.1K IQD 28.8M

-45.15%

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

$18.4K ₹1.8M

$19.4K IQD 29.3M

-5.29%

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

$42.67 ₹4,129

$218 IQD 330.0K

-80.46%

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

$4.04 ₹391

$19.65 IQD 29.7K

-79.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 ₹653

$42.88 IQD 64.8K

-84.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.40 ₹1,878

$47.30 IQD 71.5K

-58.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

$21.47 IQD 32.4K

-62.46%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₹492

$10.64 IQD 16.1K

-52.26%

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

$100 ₹9,696

$168 IQD 253.1K

-40.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

$3,430 IQD 5.2M

-33.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.14 ₹2,336

$28.72 IQD 43.4K

-15.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 ₹2,747

$32.11 IQD 48.5K

-11.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$68.4 IQD 103.3K

-22.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.13 ₹4,271

$49.01 IQD 74.1K

-9.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.5K

$577 IQD 871.8K

-54.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.9K

$361 IQD 545.2K

-57.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₹71.2K

$1,008 IQD 1.5M

-26.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₹38.5K

$669 IQD 1.0M

-40.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 ₹241.4K

$4,647 IQD 7.0M

-46.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ₹98.4K

$1,569 IQD 2.4M

-35.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

$593 IQD 895.6K

-1.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

4.12

102.18%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Baghdad: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$154 29.7%

Baghdad

$361 31.6% 134% $207

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.8%

Baghdad

$186 16.3% 72.4% $78

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.8%

Baghdad

$129 11.3% 48.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 13%

Baghdad

$80 7% 18.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.3%

Baghdad

$281 24.6% 426% $227

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Baghdad

$69 6% 132% $39

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Baghdad

$36 3.2% 84.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $264 in Delhi and $577 in Baghdad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baghdad pays 1% 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: $21.00 in Delhi vs $35.00 in Baghdad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $108 vs $186 per month, with Delhi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

17:44 5:44 PM

2 h 30 min behind Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

7,216,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

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 INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Delhi Baghdad 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Baghdad

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

Delhi vs Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Delhi wins on cost – living expenses run 121% lower than in Baghdad. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Delhi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Baghdad. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $264 in Delhi versus $577 in Baghdad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Delhi runs roughly 52% less than in Baghdad. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $100 in Delhi versus $168 in Baghdad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $520 in Delhi versus $1,148 in Baghdad, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Delhi but tight or insufficient in Baghdad. The gap between the two cities makes Delhi 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.

Expats usually find Delhi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Baghdad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.