Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Albox

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $958 a month against $1,195 in Albox, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Albox
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Albox Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Albox

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,195

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Albox

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Erbil vs $1,195 in Albox, rent included.

Erbil $958
Albox $1,195

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Erbil vs $1,753 in Albox, rent included.

Erbil $1,427
Albox $1,753

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Erbil vs $2,311 in Albox, rent included.

Erbil $1,896
Albox $2,311

Erbil is about 20% cheaper than Albox, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Erbil and Albox are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 30% lower, Albox 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$13.36 €12.00

-51.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$34.08 €30.62

7.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$9.90 €8.90

-25.15%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$2.27 €2.03

42.73%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$1.71 €1.53

-47.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$1.36 €1.22

-75.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$2.60 €2.34

121.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$2.87 €2.57

36.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$1.13 €1.02

-5.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$1.15 €1.03

-41.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$1.17 €1.05

29.91%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$2.76 €2.48

-42.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$11.88 €10.67

-41.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$7.63 €6.85

-42.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$14.64 €13.16

-13.46%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$2.07 €1.86

-54.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$1.55 €1.40

-34.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$1.15 €1.03

-11.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$2.09 €1.87

-66.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$1.11 €1.00

-41.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$1.14 €1.03

-44.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.85 €0.77

-24.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.45 €0.41

15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$5.93 €5.32

-63.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$3.52 €3.17

207.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$0.93 €0.84

55.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$0.82 €0.74

118.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$1.62 €1.45

-69.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

$30.16 €27.09

30.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$3.72 €3.34

-55.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$2.94 €2.64

-45.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$32.98 €29.63

-82.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$1.75 €1.57

-67.43%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$34.8K €31.2K

-51.69%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$29.1K €26.2K

-41.16%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$74.1 €66.5

50.18%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$8.92 €8.01

37.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$23.33 €20.96

5.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$41.40 €37.19

37.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

$15.46 €13.89

-12.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$7.09 €6.37

35.83%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$499 €448

-41.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$8,407 €7,552

-67.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$32.63 €29.32

-18.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$21.55 €19.36

78.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$67.1 €60.3

-8.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$66.8 €60.0

-10.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$623 €559

-31.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$479 €431

-43.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$955 €858

-26.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$676 €608

-40.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$2,919 €2,622

-65.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$2,075 €1,864

-70.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$2,873 €2,581

-81.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

2.9

-12.76%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Last update for Albox: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Albox

$479 40.1% 76.7% $208

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Albox

$219 18.3% 26% $45

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Albox

$195 16.3% 26.6% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Albox

$106 8.9% 28.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Albox

$85 7.1% 1% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Albox

$56 4.7% 27.1% $21

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Albox

$55 4.6% 8.1% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Erbil versus $623 in Albox. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Albox are about 5.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil versus $34 in Albox. Groceries tell a different story – $174 in Erbil vs $219 in Albox – so Erbil wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇪🇸 Albox

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

21:26 9:26 PM

2 h behind Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

12,311

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Erbil Albox 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Albox

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 Albox: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albox costs about 25% more than Erbil, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,437 per month in Erbil and $1,792 in Albox. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erbil, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $623 in Albox.

Kindergarten costs $294 per month in Erbil and $499 in Albox. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Albox, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Erbil. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Albox makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.