Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Abraq Khaitan

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $956 a month against $1,172 in Abraq Khaitan, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Abraq Khaitan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Abraq Khaitan
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Abraq Khaitan Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$956

/mo nomad

Abraq Khaitan

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,172

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Abraq Khaitan

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 Abraq Khaitan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $956 per month in Erbil vs $1,172 in Abraq Khaitan, rent included.

Erbil $956
Abraq Khaitan $1,172

A couple spends around $1,421 per month in Erbil vs $1,925 in Abraq Khaitan, rent included.

Erbil $1,421
Abraq Khaitan $1,925

A family of three spends $1,887 per month in Erbil vs $2,678 in Abraq Khaitan, rent included.

Erbil $1,887
Abraq Khaitan $2,678

Erbil is about 18% cheaper than Abraq Khaitan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Erbil and Abraq Khaitan are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 29% lower, Abraq Khaitan 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 IQD 9,753

$3.17 KWD 0.98

103.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.44 IQD 55.1K

$64.1 KWD 19.76

-43.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 IQD 10.7K

$7.50 KWD 2.31

-5.47%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 KWD 0.40

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 KWD 1.51

Cappuccino

$3.23 IQD 4,873

$4.09 KWD 1.26

-21.03%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,338

$0.33 KWD 0.10

169.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 503

$0.17 KWD 0.05

94.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 IQD 7,819

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 IQD 5,825

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 IQD 1,600

$0.92 KWD 0.28

15.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,101

$0.66 KWD 0.20

10.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,300

$1.29 KWD 0.40

17.83%

Eggs

$1.57 IQD 2,373

$2.08 KWD 0.64

-24.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 IQD 10.4K

$4.40 KWD 1.36

56.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.27 IQD 6,458

$6.52 KWD 2.01

-34.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 IQD 18.9K

$8.27 KWD 2.55

51.27%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,501

$2.21 KWD 0.68

-55.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,495

$1.65 KWD 0.51

-40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,555

$1.26 KWD 0.39

-18.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 988

$1.25 KWD 0.39

-48.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 964

$1.29 KWD 0.40

-50.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 925

$0.63 KWD 0.19

-3.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 909

$1.00 KWD 0.31

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 709

$0.31 KWD 0.09

51.61%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.01 KWD 0.31

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 KWD 0.28

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 KWD 0.45

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 IQD 3,250

$2.81 KWD 0.87

-23.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 IQD 16.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 IQD 2,222

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,825

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 IQD 718

$0.79 KWD 0.24

-39.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.85 IQD 58.7K

$48.05 KWD 14.80

-19.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,531

$4.77 KWD 1.47

-64.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,421

$3.14 KWD 0.97

-49.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 IQD 8,566

$16.33 KWD 5.03

-65.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 825

$0.34 KWD 0.10

61.76%

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

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

$15.9K KWD 4,890

2.95%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$16.2K KWD 4,978

5.02%

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

$113 IQD 170.3K

$65.9 KWD 20.29

71.16%

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

$12.21 IQD 18.4K

$17.89 KWD 5.51

-31.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.30 IQD 36.7K

$30.16 KWD 9.29

-19.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 IQD 85.5K

$56.6 KWD 17.44

-0.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.33 IQD 20.1K

$15.84 KWD 4.88

-15.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 IQD 15.1K

$9.84 KWD 3.03

1.63%

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

$315 IQD 476.0K

$162 KWD 49.84

94.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,809 IQD 4.2M

$3,185 KWD 981

-11.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.70 IQD 40.3K

$37.75 KWD 11.63

-29.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 IQD 59.8K

$32.17 KWD 9.91

23.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

$81.6 KWD 25.15

-27.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

$63.1 KWD 19.45

-5.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 IQD 639.7K

$711 KWD 219

-40.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 IQD 415.2K

$570 KWD 176

-51.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 IQD 1.1M

$1,281 KWD 395

-45.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 IQD 613.1K

$1,145 KWD 353

-64.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$608 IQD 919.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$525 IQD 793.9K

$3,373 KWD 1,039

-84.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

-49.40%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 11, 2026

Last update for Abraq Khaitan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$275 28.7%

Abraq Khaitan

$570 48.6% 107% $295

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$172 18%

Abraq Khaitan

$145 12.4% 15.7% $27

Eating Out

Erbil

$150 15.7%

Abraq Khaitan

$99 8.4% 34.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$149 15.6%

Abraq Khaitan

$114 9.7% 23.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$83 8.7%

Abraq Khaitan

$97 8.2% 16% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$77 8%

Abraq Khaitan

$76 6.5% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Erbil

$50 5.3%

Abraq Khaitan

$72 6.1% 42.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $423 in Erbil versus $711 in Abraq Khaitan. 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 542% higher in Abraq Khaitan, 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 $36.00 in Erbil versus $64.0 in Abraq Khaitan. Groceries tell a different story – $172 in Erbil vs $145 in Abraq Khaitan – so Abraq Khaitan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇰🇼 Abraq Khaitan

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Erbil Abraq Khaitan 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Abraq Khaitan

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 Abraq Khaitan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abraq Khaitan costs about 23% more than Erbil, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,435 per month in Erbil and $1,758 in Abraq Khaitan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erbil, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $315 per month in Erbil and $162 in Abraq Khaitan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in Abraq Khaitan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Erbil, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Abraq Khaitan at $1,172. In Erbil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Abraq Khaitan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Erbil – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Erbil. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Abraq Khaitan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.