Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Aalst

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $958 a month against $2,141 in Aalst, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Aalst
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Aalst Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Aalst

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Aalst

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $958 in Erbil versus $2,141 in Aalst.

Erbil $958
Aalst $2,141

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,427 in Erbil versus $3,169 in Aalst.

Erbil $1,427
Aalst $3,169

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Erbil versus $4,197 in Aalst.

Erbil $1,896
Aalst $4,197

Living in Erbil costs roughly 55% less than in Aalst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Erbil is 30% below, Aalst is 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$23.31 €20.88

-72.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$95.9 €85.9

-61.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$13.64 €12.22

-45.67%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$4.39 €3.93

-26.20%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$3.49 €3.12

-74.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$3.03 €2.71

-89.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$5.63 €5.04

2.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$5.69 €5.10

-31.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$1.34 €1.20

-20.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$2.85 €2.55

-76.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$2.32 €2.08

-34.48%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$4.07 €3.65

-60.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$16.44 €14.73

-57.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$11.74 €10.52

-62.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$22.26 €19.95

-43.08%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$3.08 €2.76

-69.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$2.41 €2.16

-58.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$2.70 €2.42

-62.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$3.35 €3.00

-79.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$2.53 €2.26

-74.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$1.87 €1.67

-66.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$1.50 €1.34

-57.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$1.12 €1.00

-53.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$12.77 €11.45

-82.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$8.58 €7.69

26.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.89 €1.70

-23.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$2.04 €1.83

-12.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$3.18 €2.85

-84.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

$52.7 €47.18

-25.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$2.97 €2.66

-43.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$2.30 €2.06

-30.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$41.01 €36.75

-85.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$2.08 €1.86

-72.60%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$35.2K €31.5K

-52.23%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$36.3K €32.5K

-52.79%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$207 €185

-46.18%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$20.48 €18.35

-40.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$52.1 €46.70

-52.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$36.48 €32.69

56.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

$21.47 €19.24

-37.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$15.71 €14.08

-38.70%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$1,606 €1,439

-81.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$34.0K €30.4K

-91.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$113 €101

-76.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$45.55 €40.82

-15.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$106 €94.6

-42.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$166 €148

-63.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$931 €834

-54.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$814 €730

-66.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$1,392 €1,247

-49.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$1,113 €997

-63.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$4,190 €3,755

-75.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$2,896 €2,595

-78.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$2,836 €2,541

-81.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

3.53

-28.33%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Last update for Aalst: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Aalst

$814 38% 200% $543

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Aalst

$361 16.9% 108% $187

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Aalst

$346 16.1% 125% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Aalst

$279 13% 88.6% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Aalst

$193 9% 131% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Aalst

$68 3.2% 10.9% $8.3

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Aalst

$80 3.7% 56.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $426 in Erbil and $931 in Aalst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aalst pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Erbil vs $96 in Aalst for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $361 per month, with Erbil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇧🇪 Aalst

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

2 h behind Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

78,271

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,686 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Erbil Aalst 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Aalst

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

Erbil vs Aalst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $958 in Erbil and $2,141 in Aalst, so Erbil is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 82% lower in Erbil. 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: $426 in Erbil versus $931 in Aalst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Erbil – a meal for two runs $37 versus $96 in Aalst. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $958 per month in Erbil versus $2,141 in Aalst – Erbil is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Safety-wise, Erbil and Aalst are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Erbil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Aalst. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.