Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Al-miqdadiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-miqdadiyah: $767 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Al-miqdadiyah
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Al-miqdadiyah Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Al-miqdadiyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $958 in Erbil versus $767 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Erbil $958
Al-miqdadiyah $767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,427 in Erbil versus $1,190 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Erbil $1,427
Al-miqdadiyah $1,190

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Erbil versus $1,614 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Erbil $1,896
Al-miqdadiyah $1,614

Living in Erbil is roughly 25% more expensive than in Al-miqdadiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Erbil 30% lower, Al-miqdadiyah 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$4.02 IQD 6,077

59.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$36.99 IQD 55.9K

-1.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$7.47 IQD 11.3K

-0.80%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$3.25 IQD 4,907

-0.31%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.82 IQD 1,244

8.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.33 IQD 503

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$5.70 IQD 8,620

0.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$3.85 IQD 5,822

1.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$1.11 IQD 1,671

-3.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.69 IQD 1,037

-2.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$1.46 IQD 2,204

4.11%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$1.59 IQD 2,401

0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$7.19 IQD 10.9K

-2.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$4.22 IQD 6,384

3.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$12.98 IQD 19.6K

-2.39%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$0.97 IQD 1,463

-3.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$1.00 IQD 1,506

1.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$1.02 IQD 1,539

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$0.71 IQD 1,070

-1.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.65 IQD 983

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$0.62 IQD 943

1.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.60 IQD 905

6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.49 IQD 740

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$2.12 IQD 3,207

3.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$10.55 IQD 15.9K

2.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.41 IQD 2,126

2.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.85 IQD 2,800

-3.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.29 IQD 440

68.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$1.68 IQD 2,540

-0.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$1.61 IQD 2,427

-0.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$5.44 IQD 8,223

6.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.57 IQD 866

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$16.8K IQD 25.3M

0.18%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$16.9K IQD 25.6M

1.10%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$114 IQD 172.8K

-2.71%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$12.20 IQD 18.4K

0.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$23.98 IQD 36.2K

2.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

47.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$9.98 IQD 15.1K

-3.51%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$291 IQD 440.3K

0.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$2,756 IQD 4.2M

-1.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$27.15 IQD 41.0K

-1.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

-0.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$59.0 IQD 89.1K

3.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$59.5 IQD 90.0K

0.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$204 IQD 308.7K

108.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$156 IQD 235.3K

74.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$341 IQD 515.6K

104.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$291 IQD 439.2K

39.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$921 IQD 1.4M

10.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$518 IQD 782.9K

18.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

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

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Last update for Al-miqdadiyah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Al-miqdadiyah

$156 20.3% 42.6% $116

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Al-miqdadiyah

$173 22.6% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Al-miqdadiyah

$134 17.5% 12.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Al-miqdadiyah

$151 19.6% 1.6% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Al-miqdadiyah

$83 10.8% 1% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Al-miqdadiyah

$59 7.7% 23% $17

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Al-miqdadiyah

$11 * 1.4% 78.6% $40

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 $204 in Al-miqdadiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Al-miqdadiyah

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

155,968

💱 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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Between locations

Erbil Al-miqdadiyah 260 km

From you

Erbil
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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-miqdadiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $958 in Erbil and $767 in Al-miqdadiyah, so Al-miqdadiyah is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,437 in Erbil and $1,150 in Al-miqdadiyah 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 $204 in Al-miqdadiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $294 in Erbil versus $291 in Al-miqdadiyah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $958 per month in Erbil versus $767 in Al-miqdadiyah – Al-miqdadiyah is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Al-miqdadiyah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.