Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdad: $1,148 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $1,148 in Baghdad.

Dubai $2,854
Baghdad $1,148

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $1,702 in Baghdad.

Dubai $4,321
Baghdad $1,702

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $2,256 in Baghdad.

Dubai $5,788
Baghdad $2,256

Living in Dubai is roughly 149% more expensive than in Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Baghdad is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$4.87 IQD 7,354

167.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$34.91 IQD 52.7K

133.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$7.52 IQD 11.4K

23.94%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$3.19 IQD 4,827

87.15%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.36 IQD 548

352.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.25 IQD 379

224.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$3.83 IQD 5,788

256.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$3.90 IQD 5,892

243.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.03 IQD 1,563

75.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$0.85 IQD 1,284

84.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$1.53 IQD 2,308

62.75%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$1.92 IQD 2,901

70.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$3.95 IQD 5,965

220.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$4.60 IQD 6,954

111.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$14.07 IQD 21.3K

-6.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$1.14 IQD 1,722

128.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.09 IQD 1,647

77.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$1.04 IQD 1,567

84.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$0.74 IQD 1,125

83.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.68 IQD 1,034

72.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.64 IQD 970

57.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.66 IQD 1,003

128.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.68 IQD 1,020

-8.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$1.93 IQD 2,922

203.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$13.58 IQD 20.5K

18.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$2.13 IQD 3,219

24.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$2.18 IQD 3,296

35.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.68 IQD 1,030

141.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$23.19 IQD 35.0K

217.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$2.25 IQD 3,402

40.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$1.57 IQD 2,373

-54.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$7.68 IQD 11.6K

3.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$0.68 IQD 1,030

45.59%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$19.1K IQD 28.8M

43.49%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$19.4K IQD 29.3M

16.22%

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

$250 AED 920

$218 IQD 330.0K

14.65%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$19.65 IQD 29.7K

176.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$42.88 IQD 64.8K

114.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$47.30 IQD 71.5K

108.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$21.47 IQD 32.4K

98.46%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$10.64 IQD 16.1K

50.66%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$168 IQD 253.1K

403.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$3,430 IQD 5.2M

432.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$28.72 IQD 43.4K

136.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$32.11 IQD 48.5K

80.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$68.4 IQD 103.3K

47.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$49.01 IQD 74.1K

106.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$577 IQD 871.8K

312.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$361 IQD 545.2K

317.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$1,008 IQD 1.5M

340.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$669 IQD 1.0M

350.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$4,647 IQD 7.0M

53.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$1,569 IQD 2.4M

163.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$593 IQD 895.6K

472.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

4.12

10.19%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Baghdad: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Baghdad

$361 31.6% 76% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Baghdad

$281 24.6% 29.1% $116

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Baghdad

$129 11.3% 58.1% $179

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Baghdad

$186 16.3% 36.4% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Baghdad

$80 7% 45.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Baghdad

$69 6% 47.5% $62

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Baghdad

$36 3.2% 58.6% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $577 in Baghdad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 472% 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: $81.0 in Dubai vs $35.00 in Baghdad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $186 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

11:33 11:33 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

7,216,040 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,695 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Baghdad 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
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

Dubai vs Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baghdad wins on cost – living expenses run 149% lower than in Dubai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baghdad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 472% higher in Dubai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,380 in Dubai versus $577 in Baghdad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baghdad runs roughly 217% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $843 in Dubai versus $168 in Baghdad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,148 in Baghdad versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baghdad but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Baghdad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Baghdad delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,148 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Baghdad hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Baghdad 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 Baghdad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 149% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.