Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Al-musayyib

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-musayyib: $768 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Al-musayyib
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Al-musayyib Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Al-musayyib

🇮🇶 Iraq

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $958 in Erbil versus $768 in Al-musayyib.

Erbil $958
Al-musayyib $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,427 in Erbil versus $1,152 in Al-musayyib.

Erbil $1,427
Al-musayyib $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Erbil versus $1,536 in Al-musayyib.

Erbil $1,896
Al-musayyib $1,536

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$4.50 IQD 6,793

42.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$25.91 IQD 39.1K

41.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$6.43 IQD 9,721

15.24%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$2.82 IQD 4,267

14.89%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.38 IQD 576

134.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.22 IQD 332

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$3.33 IQD 5,026

72.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$3.25 IQD 4,904

20.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$0.90 IQD 1,359

18.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$1.30 IQD 1,971

16.92%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$1.29 IQD 1,951

24.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$3.42 IQD 5,163

104.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$3.28 IQD 4,962

33.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$10.03 IQD 15.1K

26.32%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$1.02 IQD 1,540

-7.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$0.90 IQD 1,357

12.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$0.94 IQD 1,415

8.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$0.48 IQD 721

45.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.54 IQD 817

20.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$0.48 IQD 732

31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.48 IQD 730

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.34 IQD 518

52.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$1.68 IQD 2,531

30.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$11.98 IQD 18.1K

-9.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.89 IQD 2,862

-23.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.87 IQD 2,831

-4.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.32 IQD 480

53.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$2.01 IQD 3,043

-16.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$1.30 IQD 1,961

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$6.75 IQD 10.2K

-14.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.55 IQD 825

3.64%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

1.62%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

3.61%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$187 IQD 282.9K

-40.58%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$19.82 IQD 30.0K

-38.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$38.37 IQD 58.0K

-35.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$33.70 IQD 50.9K

68.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$10.19 IQD 15.4K

-5.50%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$146 IQD 220.6K

101.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$3,199 IQD 4.8M

-14.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$25.73 IQD 38.9K

3.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$33.53 IQD 50.7K

14.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$58.9 IQD 89.0K

3.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$41.11 IQD 62.1K

45.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$206 IQD 311.9K

106.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$127 IQD 192.6K

112.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$321 IQD 485.3K

117.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$308 IQD 465.5K

31.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$974 IQD 1.5M

4.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$537 IQD 811.4K

14.59%

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-musayyib: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Al-musayyib

$127 16.6% 53% $144

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Al-musayyib

$145 18.9% 16.3% $28

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Al-musayyib

$115 14.9% 25.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Al-musayyib

$245 31.9% 65.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Al-musayyib

$72 9.3% 14.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Al-musayyib

$54 7% 29.1% $22

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Al-musayyib

$9.8 * 1.3% 80.8% $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 $206 in Al-musayyib. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Erbil vs $26 in Al-musayyib for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $145 per month, with Al-musayyib cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Al-musayyib

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

279,939

💱 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-musayyib 380 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-musayyib: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erbil and Al-musayyib differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($958 vs $768 including rent). Al-musayyib is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,437 in Erbil and $1,153 in Al-musayyib 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 $206 in Al-musayyib. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $294 in Erbil versus $146 in Al-musayyib. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Al-musayyib 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.