Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duhok and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Duhok: $608 a month against $749 in Chengdu, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Duhok
🇮🇶 Iraq
$608
/mo nomad
Chengdu
🇨🇳 China
$749
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Duhok and in Chengdu

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

A single person spends $608 per month in Duhok vs $749 in Chengdu, rent included.

  • Duhok $608
  • Chengdu $749

A couple spends around $978 per month in Duhok vs $1,210 in Chengdu, rent included.

  • Duhok $978
  • Chengdu $1,210

A family of three spends $1,349 per month in Duhok vs $1,672 in Chengdu, rent included.

  • Duhok $1,349
  • Chengdu $1,672

Duhok is about 19% cheaper than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Duhok and Chengdu are more affordable than the global median – Duhok 55% lower, Chengdu 45% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Duhok
Chengdu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 IQD 5,111
$2.86 ¥19.11
18.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.59 IQD 25.1K
$22.74 ¥152
-27.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.40 IQD 11.2K
$4.83 ¥32.28
53.21%
Cappuccino
$2.43 IQD 3,665
$2.99 ¥19.99
-18.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 IQD 481
$0.48 ¥3.19
-33.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.19 IQD 294
$0.28 ¥1.88
-32.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.69 IQD 2,550
$1.53 ¥10.21
10.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 IQD 2,932
$2.23 ¥14.88
-13.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Duhok
Chengdu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 IQD 1,680
$1.81 ¥12.10
-38.67%
White Bread (500g)
$0.67 IQD 1,016
$1.54 ¥10.28
-56.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 IQD 2,232
$0.93 ¥6.21
59.14%
Eggs
$1.58 IQD 2,391
$1.55 ¥10.37
1.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.87 IQD 7,359
$14.37 ¥96.1
-66.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.96 IQD 4,478
$3.60 ¥24.05
-17.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.95 IQD 16.6K
$11.14 ¥74.5
-1.71%
Apples (1kg)
$0.99 IQD 1,489
$1.82 ¥12.19
-45.60%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 IQD 1,461
$1.34 ¥8.94
-27.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.75 IQD 1,136
$1.09 ¥7.30
-31.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.63 IQD 959
$1.19 ¥7.98
-47.06%
Potato (1kg)
$0.61 IQD 919
$0.75 ¥4.99
-18.67%
Onion (1kg)
$0.62 IQD 940
$0.68 ¥4.52
-8.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.61 IQD 926
$0.63 ¥4.22
-3.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 IQD 787
$0.54 ¥3.58
-3.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.73 IQD 2,609
$3.77 ¥25.22
-54.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.97 IQD 16.6K
$4.40 ¥29.41
149.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 IQD 2,121
$0.83 ¥5.52
68.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 IQD 2,700
$1.51 ¥10.08
18.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Duhok
Chengdu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 IQD 459
$0.38 ¥2.56
-21.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.64 IQD 23.6K
$24.58 ¥164
-36.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.60 IQD 2,420
$1.37 ¥9.18
16.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.29 IQD 1,945
$0.31 ¥2.08
316.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.52 IQD 8,343
$4.59 ¥30.71
20.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.54 IQD 819
$1.31 ¥8.78
-58.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.6K IQD 25.1M
$19.7K ¥131.5K
-15.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.1K IQD 25.9M
$17.9K ¥119.3K
-4.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Duhok
Chengdu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.3 IQD 131.8K
$48.01 ¥321
81.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.86 IQD 13.4K
$9.42 ¥63.0
-5.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.83 IQD 36.0K
$12.75 ¥85.2
86.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Duhok
Chengdu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.1 IQD 75.7K
$27.36 ¥183
83.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.55 IQD 40.1K
$11.25 ¥75.2
136.00%
Cinema Ticket
$7.52 IQD 11.4K
$5.87 ¥39.26
28.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Duhok
Chengdu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$106 IQD 160.6K
$373 ¥2,494
-71.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,727 IQD 4.1M
$14.7K ¥98.3K
-81.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Duhok
Chengdu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$10.02 IQD 15.1K
$25.03 ¥167
-59.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.32 IQD 30.7K
$28.15 ¥188
-27.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$30.27 IQD 45.7K
$56.0 ¥374
-45.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$19.60 IQD 29.6K
$51.3 ¥343
-61.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Duhok
Chengdu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$157 IQD 237.0K
$465 ¥3,109
-66.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$116 IQD 174.7K
$256 ¥1,712
-54.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$329 IQD 496.7K
$833 ¥5,570
-60.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$324 IQD 489.1K
$539 ¥3,606
-39.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$445 IQD 671.8K
$3,747 ¥25.1K
-88.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$362 IQD 547.1K
$1,917 ¥12.8K
-81.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Duhok
Chengdu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$415 IQD 627.4K
$1,254 ¥8,382
-66.88%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.53
3.38
-25.15%

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

Last update for Duhok: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Duhok
$154
Chengdu
$194 26.2% $40
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Duhok
$120
Chengdu
$70 41.5% $50
Accommodation & Living
Duhok
$116
Chengdu
$256 121% $140
Eating Out
Duhok
$93
Chengdu
$88 4.7% $4.4
Sport & Entertainment
Duhok
$65
Chengdu
$39 40% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Duhok
$36
Chengdu
$72 100% $36
Getting Around
Duhok
$25
Chengdu
$29 16.7% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $157 in Duhok versus $465 in Chengdu. 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 202% higher in Chengdu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in Duhok versus $23.00 in Chengdu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $154 vs $194 – making Duhok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇶 Duhok
🇨🇳 Chengdu
🕒 Local time
22:56 10:56 PM
03:56 3:56 AM
5 h ahead of Duhok
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
340,900
20,937,757
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Duhok Chengdu 5,590 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Duhok
  • Chengdu

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
Duhok vs Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Duhok and in Chengdu compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $608 in Duhok, $749 in Chengdu – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Duhok compared to Chengdu?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $912 per month in Duhok and $1,123 in Chengdu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Duhok and Chengdu?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Duhok, 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 $17.00 in Duhok and $23.00 in Chengdu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Duhok or Chengdu?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $608 in Duhok and $749 in Chengdu. That's a gap of about 23%.
How far does $1,200 go in Duhok compared to Chengdu?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $608 in Duhok and $749 in Chengdu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Duhok or Chengdu?
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.
Is Duhok or Chengdu 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 Duhok and Chengdu?
If budget matters most, go with Duhok. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chengdu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Duhok vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?