Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Al Fallujah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Fallujah: $826 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Al Fallujah
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Al Fallujah Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Al Fallujah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$826

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Al Fallujah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $958 in Erbil versus $826 in Al Fallujah.

Erbil $958
Al Fallujah $826

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,427 in Erbil versus $1,210 in Al Fallujah.

Erbil $1,427
Al Fallujah $1,210

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Erbil versus $1,594 in Al Fallujah.

Erbil $1,896
Al Fallujah $1,594

Living in Erbil is roughly 16% more expensive than in Al Fallujah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Erbil 30% lower, Al Fallujah 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$4.56 IQD 6,893

40.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$26.33 IQD 39.8K

38.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$6.75 IQD 10.2K

9.78%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$2.82 IQD 4,264

14.89%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.36 IQD 539

147.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.20 IQD 302

65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$3.26 IQD 4,921

76.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$3.26 IQD 4,927

20.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$0.97 IQD 1,466

10.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.71 IQD 1,077

-5.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$1.31 IQD 1,974

16.03%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$1.61 IQD 2,433

-0.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$3.44 IQD 5,192

103.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$4.02 IQD 6,079

8.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$12.45 IQD 18.8K

1.77%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$1.00 IQD 1,512

-6.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$0.92 IQD 1,385

9.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$0.95 IQD 1,440

7.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$0.68 IQD 1,032

2.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.56 IQD 842

16.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$0.61 IQD 918

3.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.55 IQD 833

16.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.61 IQD 926

-14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$1.63 IQD 2,467

34.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$11.59 IQD 17.5K

-6.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.93 IQD 2,909

-24.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.95 IQD 2,944

-8.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.36 IQD 537

36.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$1.94 IQD 2,934

-13.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$1.30 IQD 1,970

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$6.68 IQD 10.1K

-13.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.54 IQD 823

5.56%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

-0.16%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$16.6K IQD 25.0M

3.47%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$192 IQD 290.1K

-42.05%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

-38.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$38.06 IQD 57.5K

-35.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$40.52 IQD 61.2K

40.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$10.09 IQD 15.2K

-4.56%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$144 IQD 217.9K

103.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$3,196 IQD 4.8M

-14.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$25.16 IQD 38.0K

6.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$33.28 IQD 50.3K

15.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$60.6 IQD 91.5K

0.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$42.23 IQD 63.8K

41.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$236 IQD 356.9K

80.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$154 IQD 232.6K

76.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$342 IQD 517.3K

104.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$298 IQD 450.3K

35.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$923 IQD 1.4M

10.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$555 IQD 838.8K

10.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

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 Fallujah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Al Fallujah

$154 18.6% 43.3% $117

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Al Fallujah

$163 19.8% 6% $10

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Al Fallujah

$116 14% 24.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Al Fallujah

$250 30.3% 68.7% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Al Fallujah

$73 8.8% 13.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Al Fallujah

$61 7.4% 20.4% $16

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Al Fallujah

$9.9 * 1.2% 80.6% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $426 in Erbil and $236 in Al Fallujah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Erbil vs $26 in Al Fallujah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $163 per month, with Al Fallujah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Al Fallujah

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

326,471

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Erbil Al Fallujah 320 km

From you

Erbil
Al Fallujah

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 Fallujah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Fallujah wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Erbil. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al Fallujah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,437 in Erbil and $1,238 in Al Fallujah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $426 in Erbil versus $236 in Al Fallujah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $294 in Erbil versus $144 in Al Fallujah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al Fallujah – a meal for two runs $26 versus $37 in Erbil. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Al Fallujah is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.