Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and An Najaf

For one person, living is cheaper in An Najaf: $565 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
27

Cost of Living Index in An Najaf
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An Najaf Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

An Najaf

🇮🇶 Iraq

$565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in An Najaf

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Erbil vs $565 in An Najaf, rent included.

Erbil $958
An Najaf $565

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Erbil vs $854 in An Najaf, rent included.

Erbil $1,427
An Najaf $854

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Erbil vs $1,143 in An Najaf, rent included.

Erbil $1,896
An Najaf $1,143

Erbil costs about 69% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Erbil and An Najaf are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 30% lower, An Najaf 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$3.88 IQD 5,856

65.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$19.70 IQD 29.8K

85.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$4.32 IQD 6,528

71.53%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$2.26 IQD 3,416

43.36%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.39 IQD 582

128.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.22 IQD 333

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$3.26 IQD 4,923

76.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$2.02 IQD 3,055

94.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$0.90 IQD 1,367

18.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.68 IQD 1,023

-1.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$1.31 IQD 1,972

16.03%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$1.68 IQD 2,542

-4.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$3.28 IQD 4,951

113.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$3.43 IQD 5,187

27.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$9.56 IQD 14.5K

32.53%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$0.97 IQD 1,458

-3.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$0.91 IQD 1,375

10.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$0.94 IQD 1,425

8.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$0.68 IQD 1,029

2.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.56 IQD 841

16.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$0.61 IQD 919

3.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.58 IQD 877

10.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.49 IQD 743

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$1.63 IQD 2,462

34.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$11.93 IQD 18.0K

-9.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.93 IQD 2,919

-24.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.91 IQD 2,892

-6.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.31 IQD 462

58.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$1.31 IQD 1,974

27.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$1.31 IQD 1,975

22.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$5.38 IQD 8,132

7.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.41 IQD 625

39.02%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$12.1K IQD 18.4M

38.27%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

1.57%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$34.87 IQD 52.7K

219.01%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$14.80 IQD 22.4K

-17.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$33.39 IQD 50.5K

-26.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$25.35 IQD 38.3K

124.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$8.44 IQD 12.7K

14.10%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$147 IQD 222.0K

99.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$797 IQD 1.2M

242.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$15.04 IQD 22.7K

77.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$23.28 IQD 35.2K

65.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$60.3 IQD 91.2K

1.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$41.51 IQD 62.7K

44.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$234 IQD 353.4K

82.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$125 IQD 188.4K

117.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$311 IQD 469.6K

124.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$189 IQD 286.0K

113.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$1,097 IQD 1.7M

-7.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$445 IQD 672.6K

38.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$670 IQD 1.0M

-22.63%

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 An Najaf: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

An Najaf

$125 22.1% 54% $147

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

An Najaf

$149 26.4% 14% $24

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

An Najaf

$94 16.6% 39% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

An Najaf

$83 14.7% 43.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

An Najaf

$63 11.2% 24.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

An Najaf

$42 7.5% 44.6% $34

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

An Najaf

$9.1 * 1.6% 82.2% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Erbil versus $234 in An Najaf. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 29% higher in An Najaf, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil versus $20 in An Najaf. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $149 – making An Najaf the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 An Najaf

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

1,221,248

💱 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 An Najaf 470 km

From you

Erbil
An Najaf

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 An Najaf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erbil costs about 69% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $848 in An Najaf. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in An Najaf, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $234 there versus $426 in Erbil.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $958 in Erbil and $565 in An Najaf. That makes An Najaf about 41% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $294 per month in Erbil and $147 in An Najaf. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in An Najaf, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Erbil at $958. In An Najaf it covers expenses comfortably, while in Erbil it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward An Najaf – 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.