Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Ar Ramadi

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar Ramadi: $657 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Ar Ramadi
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Ar Ramadi Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Ar Ramadi

🇮🇶 Iraq

$657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Ar Ramadi

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Erbil vs $657 in Ar Ramadi, rent included.

Erbil $958
Ar Ramadi $657

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Erbil vs $1,037 in Ar Ramadi, rent included.

Erbil $1,427
Ar Ramadi $1,037

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Erbil vs $1,416 in Ar Ramadi, rent included.

Erbil $1,896
Ar Ramadi $1,416

Erbil costs about 46% more than Ar Ramadi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Erbil and Ar Ramadi are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 30% lower, Ar Ramadi 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,697

$4.74 IQD 7,156

35.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$22.71 IQD 34.3K

60.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$5.52 IQD 8,329

34.24%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,886

$2.65 IQD 4,005

22.26%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,340

$0.32 IQD 478

178.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.20 IQD 297

65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,675

$3.25 IQD 4,913

76.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,917

$2.86 IQD 4,323

37.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,610

$1.03 IQD 1,552

3.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,018

$0.79 IQD 1,190

-15.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,301

$1.45 IQD 2,192

4.83%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,412

$1.55 IQD 2,338

3.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$3.97 IQD 6,001

76.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,610

$3.52 IQD 5,321

24.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$11.45 IQD 17.3K

10.66%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,414

$0.96 IQD 1,447

-2.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,527

$0.93 IQD 1,405

8.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,543

$0.95 IQD 1,433

7.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,063

$0.64 IQD 967

9.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 981

$0.55 IQD 830

18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 951

$0.57 IQD 861

10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 967

$0.62 IQD 935

3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.50 IQD 754

4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,301

$1.69 IQD 2,559

29.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$11.33 IQD 17.1K

-4.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,190

$1.51 IQD 2,273

-3.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,710

$1.85 IQD 2,789

-3.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.32 IQD 488

53.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,517

$1.65 IQD 2,497

1.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,416

$1.13 IQD 1,701

41.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,722

$6.08 IQD 9,184

-4.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 866

$0.48 IQD 730

18.75%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$19.0K IQD 28.6M

-11.40%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$16.0K IQD 24.1M

7.16%

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

$111 IQD 168.0K

$83.3 IQD 125.8K

33.53%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$12.23 IQD 18.5K

0.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$27.20 IQD 41.1K

-9.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.0K

$41.08 IQD 62.0K

38.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.5K

$10.03 IQD 15.1K

-3.99%

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

$294 IQD 443.5K

$149 IQD 225.1K

97.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$2,779 IQD 4.2M

-1.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.3K

$20.31 IQD 30.7K

31.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.1K

$25.65 IQD 38.7K

50.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.2K

$63.6 IQD 96.0K

-3.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$41.71 IQD 63.0K

43.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.2K

$233 IQD 351.5K

83.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 409.8K

$130 IQD 196.2K

108.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$375 IQD 566.3K

86.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.0K

$308 IQD 464.9K

31.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$807 IQD 1.2M

26.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.2K

$483 IQD 729.7K

27.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.2K

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 Ar Ramadi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Ar Ramadi

$130 19.8% 52.1% $141

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Ar Ramadi

$157 23.8% 9.8% $17

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Ar Ramadi

$110 16.8% 28.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Ar Ramadi

$123 18.7% 17.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Ar Ramadi

$68 10.4% 18.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Ar Ramadi

$61 9.3% 19.8% $15

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Ar Ramadi

$8.6 * 1.3% 83.1% $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 $233 in Ar Ramadi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil versus $23 in Ar Ramadi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $157 – making Ar Ramadi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Ar Ramadi

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

223,500

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.94 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Erbil Ar Ramadi 310 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 Ar Ramadi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erbil costs about 46% more than Ar Ramadi, 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 $986 in Ar Ramadi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ar Ramadi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $233 there versus $426 in Erbil.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $958 in Erbil and $657 in Ar Ramadi. That makes Ar Ramadi about 31% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $294 per month in Erbil and $149 in Ar Ramadi. 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 Ar Ramadi, where all-in costs run around $657, than in Erbil at $958. In Ar Ramadi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Erbil it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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