Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $773 in Sulaymaniyah, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Delhi
🇮🇳 India
$520
/mo nomad
Sulaymaniyah
🇮🇶 Iraq
$773
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $520 per month in Delhi vs $773 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

  • Delhi $520
  • Sulaymaniyah $773

A couple spends around $858 per month in Delhi vs $1,194 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

  • Delhi $858
  • Sulaymaniyah $1,194

A family of three spends $1,195 per month in Delhi vs $1,615 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

  • Delhi $1,195
  • Sulaymaniyah $1,615

Delhi is about 33% cheaper than Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Sulaymaniyah are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Sulaymaniyah 42% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Delhi
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.67 ₹355
$5.07 IQD 7,660
-27.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.95 ₹2,027
$22.93 IQD 34.6K
-8.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.74 ₹362
$7.04 IQD 10.6K
-46.88%
Cappuccino
$2.33 ₹226
$2.88 IQD 4,344
-19.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ₹35.82
$0.50 IQD 759
-26.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.20 ₹18.91
$0.25 IQD 378
-20.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.02 ₹195
$3.93 IQD 5,943
-48.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 ₹308
$2.27 IQD 3,427
40.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Delhi
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.68 ₹65.9
$1.28 IQD 1,935
-46.88%
White Bread (500g)
$0.52 ₹50.2
$1.01 IQD 1,519
-48.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.83 ₹80.0
$1.86 IQD 2,812
-55.38%
Eggs
$1.07 ₹104
$1.77 IQD 2,672
-39.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.43 ₹428
$4.96 IQD 7,490
-10.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.37 ₹326
$4.22 IQD 6,382
-20.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$15.30 IQD 23.1K
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.99 ₹192
$1.28 IQD 1,935
55.47%
Banana (1kg)
$0.72 ₹70.1
$1.28 IQD 1,937
-43.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.02 ₹98.4
$1.15 IQD 1,737
-11.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.52 ₹50.1
$0.68 IQD 1,025
-23.53%
Potato (1kg)
$0.27 ₹25.96
$0.56 IQD 847
-51.79%
Onion (1kg)
$0.37 ₹35.42
$0.73 IQD 1,096
-49.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 ₹41.64
$0.73 IQD 1,101
-41.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₹30.39
$0.50 IQD 752
-38.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.92 ₹476
$2.28 IQD 3,444
115.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.34 ₹808
$11.23 IQD 17.0K
-25.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 ₹159
$1.95 IQD 2,949
-15.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 ₹261
$1.42 IQD 2,141
90.14%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$6.15 ₹596
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Delhi
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.46 ₹44.04
$0.60 IQD 902
-23.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.29 ₹1,480
$22.68 IQD 34.3K
-32.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 ₹99.8
$2.22 IQD 3,361
-53.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ₹26.38
$2.34 IQD 3,531
-88.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 ₹148
$5.50 IQD 8,306
-72.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.05 ₹102
$0.69 IQD 1,045
52.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$10.5K ₹1.0M
$20.9K IQD 31.5M
-49.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.4K ₹1.8M
$18.9K IQD 28.6M
-3.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$42.67 ₹4,129
$100 IQD 151.7K
-57.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.04 ₹391
$11.49 IQD 17.4K
-64.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.75 ₹653
$28.04 IQD 42.4K
-75.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.40 ₹1,878
$39.70 IQD 60.0K
-51.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.06 ₹780
$20.09 IQD 30.4K
-59.88%
Cinema Ticket
$5.08 ₹492
$7.58 IQD 11.5K
-32.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Delhi
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$100 ₹9,696
$173 IQD 261.0K
-42.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,268 ₹219.5K
$2,946 IQD 4.5M
-23.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.14 ₹2,336
$18.91 IQD 28.6K
27.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.38 ₹2,747
$25.19 IQD 38.1K
12.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$53.3 ₹5,160
$43.24 IQD 65.3K
23.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$44.13 ₹4,271
$38.64 IQD 58.4K
14.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Delhi
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$264 ₹25.5K
$215 IQD 324.7K
22.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$154 ₹14.9K
$175 IQD 264.2K
-11.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$736 ₹71.2K
$492 IQD 743.9K
49.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$397 ₹38.5K
$363 IQD 548.8K
9.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,494 ₹241.4K
$786 IQD 1.2M
217.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,017 ₹98.4K
$630 IQD 952.4K
61.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Delhi
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$585 ₹56.7K
$584 IQD 882.1K
0.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.33
5.77
44.37%

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

Last update for Delhi: 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
Delhi
$154
Sulaymaniyah
$175 13.5% $21
Groceries & Markets
Delhi
$108
Sulaymaniyah
$188 74.5% $80
Eating Out
Delhi
$87
Sulaymaniyah
$123 41.3% $36
Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
$67
Sulaymaniyah
$57 16% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
$53
Sulaymaniyah
$140 162% $86
Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
$30
Sulaymaniyah
$55 85.5% $25
Getting Around
Delhi
$20
Sulaymaniyah
$39 99.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Delhi versus $215 in Sulaymaniyah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 0% higher in Delhi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi versus $23.00 in Sulaymaniyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $188 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Delhi
🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah
🕒 Local time
17:08 5:08 PM
14:38 2:38 PM
2 h 30 min behind Delhi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,787,941 Capital
823,199
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Delhi Sulaymaniyah 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Delhi
  • 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
Delhi vs Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Delhi and in Sulaymaniyah compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $520 in Delhi, $773 in Sulaymaniyah – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Delhi compared to Sulaymaniyah?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $780 per month in Delhi and $1,160 in Sulaymaniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Delhi and Sulaymaniyah?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Delhi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi and $23.00 in Sulaymaniyah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Delhi or Sulaymaniyah?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $520 in Delhi and $773 in Sulaymaniyah. That's a gap of about 49%.
How far does $1,200 go in Delhi compared to Sulaymaniyah?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $520 in Delhi and $773 in Sulaymaniyah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Delhi or Sulaymaniyah?
Families tend to lean toward Delhi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Delhi or Sulaymaniyah safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Delhi and Sulaymaniyah?
If budget matters most, go with Delhi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sulaymaniyah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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