Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and An Nasiriyah

For one person, living is cheaper in An Nasiriyah: $731 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
34

Cost of Living Index in An Nasiriyah
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An Nasiriyah Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

An Nasiriyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Erbil vs $731 in An Nasiriyah, rent included.

Erbil $958
An Nasiriyah $731

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Erbil vs $1,024 in An Nasiriyah, rent included.

Erbil $1,427
An Nasiriyah $1,024

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Erbil vs $1,317 in An Nasiriyah, rent included.

Erbil $1,896
An Nasiriyah $1,317

Erbil costs about 31% more than An Nasiriyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Erbil and An Nasiriyah are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 30% lower, An Nasiriyah 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$2.77 IQD 4,188

131.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$10.42 IQD 15.8K

250.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$5.81 IQD 8,777

27.54%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$2.35 IQD 3,547

37.87%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.34 IQD 518

161.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.17 IQD 255

94.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$3.35 IQD 5,055

71.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$3.38 IQD 5,110

15.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$0.84 IQD 1,271

27.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.68 IQD 1,032

-1.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$0.86 IQD 1,295

76.74%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$1.61 IQD 2,435

-0.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$2.51 IQD 3,797

178.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$3.77 IQD 5,692

16.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$8.48 IQD 12.8K

49.41%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$0.95 IQD 1,439

-1.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$0.90 IQD 1,365

12.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$0.74 IQD 1,112

37.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$0.37 IQD 560

89.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.34 IQD 517

91.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$0.49 IQD 734

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.48 IQD 724

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.41 IQD 613

26.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$1.29 IQD 1,943

69.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$11.59 IQD 17.5K

-6.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.93 IQD 2,914

-24.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.91 IQD 2,882

-6.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.24 IQD 360

104.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$2.02 IQD 3,053

-17.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$1.34 IQD 2,026

19.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$1.97 IQD 2,970

193.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.57 IQD 862

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$16.3K IQD 24.6M

3.11%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$15.6K IQD 23.6M

9.64%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$194 IQD 292.8K

-42.60%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$19.64 IQD 29.7K

-37.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$38.14 IQD 57.6K

-35.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$16.29 IQD 24.6K

249.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$9.99 IQD 15.1K

-3.60%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$143 IQD 216.4K

105.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$3,244 IQD 4.9M

-15.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$9.87 IQD 14.9K

170.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$33.29 IQD 50.3K

15.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$23.55 IQD 35.6K

159.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$33.11 IQD 50.0K

80.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$239 IQD 361.8K

77.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$158 IQD 238.2K

72.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$320 IQD 482.8K

118.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$320 IQD 484.1K

26.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$904 IQD 1.4M

12.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$428 IQD 646.6K

43.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$665 IQD 1.0M

-21.96%

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 Nasiriyah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

An Nasiriyah

$158 21.6% 41.9% $114

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

An Nasiriyah

$137 18.8% 20.9% $36

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

An Nasiriyah

$93 12.8% 39.4% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

An Nasiriyah

$252 34.4% 69.9% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

An Nasiriyah

$45 6.2% 46.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

An Nasiriyah

$36 5% 52.4% $40

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

An Nasiriyah

$9.7 * 1.3% 81% $41

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 $239 in An Nasiriyah. 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 28% higher in An Nasiriyah, 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 $10 in An Nasiriyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $137 – making An Nasiriyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 An Nasiriyah

🕒 Local time

01:19 1:19 AM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

745,000

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Erbil An Nasiriyah 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
An Nasiriyah

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 Nasiriyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $958 in Erbil, $731 in An Nasiriyah – An Nasiriyah comes out roughly 24% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,437 per month in Erbil and $1,096 in An Nasiriyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in An Nasiriyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $239 there versus $426 in Erbil.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $958 in Erbil and $731 in An Nasiriyah. That makes An Nasiriyah about 24% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $294 per month in Erbil and $143 in An Nasiriyah. 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 $958 in Erbil and $731 in An Nasiriyah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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