Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Al Kut

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kut: $657 a month against $960 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Al Kut
Learn more

Al Kut Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$960

/mo nomad

Al Kut

🇮🇶 Iraq

$657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $960 per month in Erbil vs $657 in Al Kut, rent included.

Erbil $960
Al Kut $657

A couple spends around $1,439 per month in Erbil vs $1,024 in Al Kut, rent included.

Erbil $1,439
Al Kut $1,024

A family of three spends $1,918 per month in Erbil vs $1,391 in Al Kut, rent included.

Erbil $1,918
Al Kut $1,391

Erbil costs about 46% more than Al Kut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Erbil and Al Kut are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 29% lower, Al Kut 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.65 IQD 10.1K

$4.25 IQD 6,426

56.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.28 IQD 56.3K

$21.06 IQD 31.8K

77.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 IQD 11.0K

$6.29 IQD 9,511

15.58%

Cappuccino

$3.25 IQD 4,914

$2.48 IQD 3,748

31.05%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,350

$0.35 IQD 534

154.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 545

$0.22 IQD 333

63.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 IQD 8,706

$3.36 IQD 5,072

71.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 IQD 6,834

$2.60 IQD 3,934

73.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 IQD 1,587

$0.99 IQD 1,499

6.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 IQD 970

$0.73 IQD 1,108

-12.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 IQD 2,180

$1.48 IQD 2,234

-2.70%

Eggs

$1.52 IQD 2,298

$1.54 IQD 2,321

-1.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

$3.76 IQD 5,679

87.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 IQD 6,661

$3.48 IQD 5,256

26.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.64 IQD 19.1K

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

8.59%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,501

$0.87 IQD 1,311

13.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,493

$1.05 IQD 1,582

-5.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 IQD 1,612

$0.86 IQD 1,292

24.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,050

$0.67 IQD 1,019

2.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 972

$0.54 IQD 820

18.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 865

$0.61 IQD 927

-6.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 IQD 998

$0.58 IQD 873

13.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 770

$0.51 IQD 775

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.12 IQD 3,209

$1.70 IQD 2,563

24.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.56 IQD 16.0K

$11.12 IQD 16.8K

-5.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,209

$1.58 IQD 2,382

-7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,750

$1.88 IQD 2,837

-3.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 759

$0.32 IQD 481

56.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.67 IQD 59.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,520

$1.87 IQD 2,823

-10.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 IQD 2,325

$1.34 IQD 2,019

14.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 IQD 8,286

$5.55 IQD 8,382

-1.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 884

$0.58 IQD 871

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

-0.35%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.7M

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

3.57%

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

$116 IQD 174.8K

$85.1 IQD 128.6K

35.91%

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

$11.96 IQD 18.1K

$13.61 IQD 20.6K

-12.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.50 IQD 37.0K

$28.70 IQD 43.4K

-14.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

54.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.43 IQD 20.3K

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 IQD 15.1K

$9.11 IQD 13.8K

9.66%

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

$297 IQD 448.2K

$146 IQD 220.6K

103.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,080 IQD 6.2M

$2,793 IQD 4.2M

46.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.29 IQD 39.7K

$21.30 IQD 32.2K

23.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.72 IQD 58.5K

$22.72 IQD 34.3K

70.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.8 IQD 91.8K

$60.6 IQD 91.5K

0.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.8 IQD 88.9K

$37.16 IQD 56.1K

58.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$441 IQD 666.1K

$211 IQD 318.6K

109.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 IQD 404.7K

$138 IQD 209.0K

93.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$696 IQD 1.1M

$368 IQD 556.5K

88.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 IQD 626.0K

$315 IQD 476.3K

31.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

$849 IQD 1.3M

23.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$600 IQD 906.7K

$488 IQD 737.0K

23.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$514 IQD 776.4K

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Al Kut: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$268 27.9%

Al Kut

$138 21.1% 48.4% $130

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$172 18%

Al Kut

$156 23.7% 9.8% $17

Eating Out

Erbil

$157 16.3%

Al Kut

$107 16.3% 31.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$152 15.8%

Al Kut

$127 19.4% 16.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$83 8.7%

Al Kut

$64 9.7% 23.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$77 8%

Al Kut

$55 8.4% 28.3% $22

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Al Kut

$9.8 * 1.5% 80.8% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $441 in Erbil versus $211 in Al Kut. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil versus $21 in Al Kut. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $156 – making Al Kut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Al Kut

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

422,793

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Erbil Al Kut 440 km

From you

Erbil
Al Kut

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 Kut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $960 in Erbil, $657 in Al Kut – Al Kut comes out roughly 32% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,441 per month in Erbil and $985 in Al Kut. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Kut, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $441 in Erbil.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $960 in Erbil and $657 in Al Kut. That makes Al Kut about 32% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $297 per month in Erbil and $146 in Al Kut. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $960 in Erbil and $657 in Al Kut, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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