Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Al-'amarah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-’amarah: $672 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Al-'amarah
Learn more

Al-'amarah Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Al-'amarah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$672

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Al-'amarah

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 Al-'amarah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $958 per month in Erbil vs $672 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Erbil $958
Al-'amarah $672

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Erbil vs $1,023 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Erbil $1,427
Al-'amarah $1,023

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Erbil vs $1,373 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Erbil $1,896
Al-'amarah $1,373

Erbil costs about 42% more than Al-’amarah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Erbil and Al-’amarah are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 30% lower, Al-’amarah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$4.08 IQD 6,163

57.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$19.39 IQD 29.3K

88.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$6.29 IQD 9,501

17.81%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$2.23 IQD 3,364

45.29%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.38 IQD 575

134.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.21 IQD 311

57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$3.01 IQD 4,555

91.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$2.45 IQD 3,705

60.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$0.99 IQD 1,494

8.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.67 IQD 1,014

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$1.38 IQD 2,090

10.14%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$1.59 IQD 2,409

0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$3.88 IQD 5,856

80.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$3.44 IQD 5,192

27.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$13.32 IQD 20.1K

-4.88%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$0.95 IQD 1,440

-1.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$0.98 IQD 1,474

3.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$0.91 IQD 1,368

12.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$0.63 IQD 951

11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.55 IQD 836

18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$0.63 IQD 950

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.56 IQD 848

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.47 IQD 715

10.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$1.48 IQD 2,231

47.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

-10.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.68 IQD 2,545

-13.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.85 IQD 2,798

-3.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.29 IQD 438

68.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$1.79 IQD 2,712

-6.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$1.17 IQD 1,766

36.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$5.46 IQD 8,252

5.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.58 IQD 878

-1.72%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

-4.62%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$14.7K IQD 22.2M

16.80%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$97.8 IQD 147.8K

13.73%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$14.57 IQD 22.0K

-15.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$28.47 IQD 43.0K

-13.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$36.45 IQD 55.1K

56.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

6.53%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$143 IQD 216.2K

105.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$2,964 IQD 4.5M

-8.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$23.18 IQD 35.0K

15.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$22.01 IQD 33.3K

74.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$68.2 IQD 103.0K

-10.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$32.78 IQD 49.5K

82.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$204 IQD 308.8K

108.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$140 IQD 211.8K

93.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$368 IQD 555.9K

89.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$287 IQD 433.4K

40.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$863 IQD 1.3M

17.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$486 IQD 733.7K

26.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$434 IQD 655.1K

19.63%

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 Al-'amarah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Al-'amarah

$140 20.9% 48.3% $131

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Al-'amarah

$162 24.1% 6.8% $12

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Al-'amarah

$101 15% 34.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Al-'amarah

$141 21% 4.9% $7.2

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Al-'amarah

$66 9.8% 21.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Al-'amarah

$55 8.1% 28.4% $22

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Al-'amarah

$8.8 * 1.3% 82.7% $42

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 Al-’amarah. 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 20% 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 $19 in Al-’amarah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $162 – making Al-’amarah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Al-'amarah

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

511,542

💱 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 Al-'amarah 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Al-'amarah

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 Al-'amarah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Erbil is pricier by about 42%, 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 $1,009 in Al-’amarah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil and $19 in Al-’amarah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Erbil, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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