Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Al Kazimiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kazimiyah: $668 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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 Kazimiyah
Learn more

Al Kazimiyah Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Al Kazimiyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $958 in Erbil versus $668 in Al Kazimiyah.

Erbil $958
Al Kazimiyah $668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,427 in Erbil versus $1,012 in Al Kazimiyah.

Erbil $1,427
Al Kazimiyah $1,012

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Erbil versus $1,356 in Al Kazimiyah.

Erbil $1,896
Al Kazimiyah $1,356

Living in Erbil is roughly 43% more expensive than in Al Kazimiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Erbil 30% lower, Al Kazimiyah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$4.17 IQD 6,294

53.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$19.25 IQD 29.1K

89.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$7.11 IQD 10.7K

4.22%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$2.19 IQD 3,313

47.95%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.37 IQD 564

140.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.20 IQD 296

65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$3.54 IQD 5,343

62.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$2.82 IQD 4,264

39.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$0.86 IQD 1,303

24.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.62 IQD 931

8.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$1.54 IQD 2,328

-1.30%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$1.46 IQD 2,205

9.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$4.38 IQD 6,614

59.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$3.58 IQD 5,402

22.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$13.05 IQD 19.7K

-2.91%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$1.10 IQD 1,656

-14.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$0.86 IQD 1,296

17.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$0.97 IQD 1,459

5.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$0.62 IQD 934

12.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.59 IQD 893

10.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$0.65 IQD 977

-3.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.62 IQD 932

3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.52 IQD 792

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$1.46 IQD 2,207

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$12.06 IQD 18.2K

-10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.60 IQD 2,415

-9.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.65 IQD 2,487

8.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.38 IQD 570

28.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$1.97 IQD 2,979

-15.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$1.19 IQD 1,804

34.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$5.97 IQD 9,014

-3.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.64 IQD 968

-10.94%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$18.1K IQD 27.4M

-7.31%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$19.1K IQD 28.8M

-10.18%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$81.9 IQD 123.8K

35.79%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$11.68 IQD 17.6K

4.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$25.31 IQD 38.2K

-2.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$39.65 IQD 59.9K

43.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$8.96 IQD 13.5K

7.48%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$152 IQD 229.6K

93.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$2,394 IQD 3.6M

13.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$22.57 IQD 34.1K

18.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$22.79 IQD 34.4K

68.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$53.3 IQD 80.6K

14.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$32.17 IQD 48.6K

86.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$234 IQD 354.1K

81.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$154 IQD 233.4K

75.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$322 IQD 486.0K

117.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$294 IQD 444.6K

37.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$984 IQD 1.5M

3.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$564 IQD 852.3K

9.10%

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 Kazimiyah: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Al Kazimiyah

$154 23.1% 43.1% $117

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Al Kazimiyah

$162 24.2% 6.8% $12

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Al Kazimiyah

$107 16% 30.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Al Kazimiyah

$119 17.8% 19.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Al Kazimiyah

$59 8.8% 29.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Al Kazimiyah

$58 8.6% 24.4% $19

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Al Kazimiyah

$9.5 * 1.4% 81.4% $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 $234 in Al Kazimiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Erbil vs $19 in Al Kazimiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $162 per month, with Al Kazimiyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Al Kazimiyah

🕒 Local time

01:59 1:59 AM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Erbil Al Kazimiyah 310 km

From you

Erbil
Al Kazimiyah

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 Kazimiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Kazimiyah is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,437 in Erbil and $1,001 in Al Kazimiyah 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 $234 in Al Kazimiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $294 in Erbil versus $152 in Al Kazimiyah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al Kazimiyah – a meal for two runs $19 versus $37 in Erbil. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Al Kazimiyah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.