Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Ad Diwaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Diwaniyah: $559 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
Learn more

Erbil Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Ad Diwaniyah
Learn more

Ad Diwaniyah Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Ad Diwaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$559

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Ad Diwaniyah

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 Ad Diwaniyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $958 per month in Erbil vs $559 in Ad Diwaniyah, rent included.

Erbil $958
Ad Diwaniyah $559

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Erbil vs $876 in Ad Diwaniyah, rent included.

Erbil $1,427
Ad Diwaniyah $876

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Erbil vs $1,193 in Ad Diwaniyah, rent included.

Erbil $1,896
Ad Diwaniyah $1,193

Erbil costs about 71% more than Ad Diwaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Erbil and Ad Diwaniyah are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 30% lower, Ad Diwaniyah 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$2.75 IQD 4,154

133.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$9.87 IQD 14.9K

270.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$4.61 IQD 6,960

60.74%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$1.62 IQD 2,442

100.00%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.36 IQD 538

147.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.22 IQD 333

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$3.24 IQD 4,901

77.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$3.23 IQD 4,876

21.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$0.95 IQD 1,440

12.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.69 IQD 1,045

-2.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$1.13 IQD 1,708

34.51%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$1.69 IQD 2,552

-5.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$3.40 IQD 5,142

105.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$3.38 IQD 5,112

29.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$9.80 IQD 14.8K

29.29%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$0.69 IQD 1,038

36.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$0.65 IQD 980

55.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$0.64 IQD 968

59.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$0.68 IQD 1,027

2.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.55 IQD 837

18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$0.55 IQD 838

14.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.32 IQD 483

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.62 IQD 930

-16.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$1.69 IQD 2,560

29.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$3.24 IQD 4,903

234.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.89 IQD 2,859

-23.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.97 IQD 2,973

-9.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.38 IQD 572

28.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$2.04 IQD 3,076

-18.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$0.80 IQD 1,202

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$6.52 IQD 9,850

-11.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.29 IQD 432

96.55%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$16.4K IQD 24.7M

2.68%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

2.41%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$33.29 IQD 50.3K

234.15%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$14.94 IQD 22.6K

-18.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$33.23 IQD 50.2K

-25.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$36.21 IQD 54.7K

57.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

$6.76 IQD 10.2K

99.41%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$6.45 IQD 9,752

49.30%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$65.8 IQD 99.5K

346.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$3,258 IQD 4.9M

-16.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$25.65 IQD 38.8K

4.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$33.66 IQD 50.9K

14.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$58.6 IQD 88.5K

4.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$42.15 IQD 63.7K

42.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$204 IQD 309.0K

108.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$140 IQD 210.8K

94.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$368 IQD 555.7K

89.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$316 IQD 478.1K

27.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$890 IQD 1.3M

14.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$498 IQD 752.9K

23.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$328 IQD 495.7K

58.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

4.12

-38.59%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ad Diwaniyah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Ad Diwaniyah

$140 25% 48.6% $132

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Ad Diwaniyah

$129 23.1% 25.8% $45

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Ad Diwaniyah

$80 14.4% 47.9% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Ad Diwaniyah

$81 14.6% 45% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Ad Diwaniyah

$72 12.9% 14% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Ad Diwaniyah

$49 8.8% 35.5% $27

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Ad Diwaniyah

$7.5 * 1.4% 85.2% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Erbil versus $204 in Ad Diwaniyah. 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 58% higher in Erbil, 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 $37 in Erbil versus $10 in Ad Diwaniyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $129 – making Ad Diwaniyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Ad Diwaniyah

🕒 Local time

05:10 5:10 AM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

650,927

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Erbil Ad Diwaniyah 480 km

From you

Erbil
Ad Diwaniyah

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 Ad Diwaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Erbil is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,437 per month in Erbil and $838 in Ad Diwaniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ad Diwaniyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $426 in Erbil.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $958 in Erbil and $559 in Ad Diwaniyah. That makes Ad Diwaniyah about 42% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $294 per month in Erbil and $66 in Ad Diwaniyah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

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