Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $1,096 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,096

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,096 in Erbil versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Erbil $1,096
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,634 in Erbil versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Erbil $1,634
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,173 in Erbil versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Erbil $2,173
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Erbil costs roughly 59% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Erbil is 18% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 IQD 11.7K

$20.22 $20.22

-61.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.93 IQD 64.9K

$85.0 $85.0

-49.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 IQD 12.9K

$12.35 $12.35

-30.77%

Cappuccino

$3.92 IQD 5,918

$5.47 $5.47

-28.34%

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

$0.98 IQD 1,476

$3.82 $3.82

-74.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 IQD 635

$2.50 $2.50

-83.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 IQD 9,213

$8.06 $8.06

-24.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 IQD 7,074

$8.99 $8.99

-47.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 IQD 1,866

$1.13 $1.13

8.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 IQD 1,244

$3.78 $3.78

-78.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 IQD 2,626

$3.25 $3.25

-46.46%

Eggs

$1.80 IQD 2,716

$4.14 $4.14

-56.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.03 IQD 12.1K

$13.08 $13.08

-38.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.96 IQD 7,488

$14.31 $14.31

-65.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.57 IQD 22.0K

$15.96 $15.96

-8.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.09 IQD 1,642

$4.38 $4.38

-75.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 IQD 1,679

$1.45 $1.45

-23.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 IQD 1,860

$4.54 $4.54

-72.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.76 IQD 1,151

$4.19 $4.19

-81.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 IQD 1,104

$2.63 $2.63

-72.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 IQD 1,100

$2.36 $2.36

-69.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 IQD 1,050

$1.76 $1.76

-60.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 IQD 903

$2.16 $2.16

-72.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.44 IQD 3,683

$9.81 $9.81

-75.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.42 IQD 18.8K

$14.72 $14.72

-15.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 IQD 2,449

$2.78 $2.78

-41.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 IQD 3,270

$3.48 $3.48

-37.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 IQD 896

$1.49 $1.49

-60.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.79 IQD 64.7K

$40.51 $40.51

5.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 IQD 2,934

$2.67 $2.67

-27.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 IQD 2,686

$1.58 $1.58

12.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,572

$35.29 $35.29

-82.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 IQD 1,029

$0.99 $0.99

-31.31%

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

$17.7K IQD 26.7M

$35.8K $35.8K

-50.70%

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

$20.3K IQD 30.6M

$27.2K $27.2K

-25.45%

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

$131 IQD 197.2K

$219 $219

-40.48%

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

$13.79 IQD 20.8K

$58.0 $58.0

-76.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 IQD 41.7K

$68.4 $68.4

-59.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.3 IQD 98.7K

$57.9 $57.9

12.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.26 IQD 21.6K

$14.82 $14.82

-3.78%

Cinema Ticket

$11.35 IQD 17.2K

$14.13 $14.13

-19.67%

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

$326 IQD 493.1K

$1,509 $1,509

-78.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,186 IQD 4.8M

$21.5K $21.5K

-85.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.25 IQD 47.2K

$51.7 $51.7

-39.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.50 IQD 67.2K

$44.05 $44.05

1.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

$85.1 $85.1

-19.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.0 IQD 104.3K

$105 $105

-34.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$463 IQD 700.1K

$1,932 $1,932

-76.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 IQD 442.5K

$1,272 $1,272

-76.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$725 IQD 1.1M

$3,670 $3,670

-80.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$439 IQD 662.8K

$2,525 $2,525

-82.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,110 IQD 1.7M

$7,617 $7,617

-85.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$645 IQD 975.2K

$3,199 $3,199

-79.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 IQD 891.2K

$5,105 $5,105

-88.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

6.79

-62.74%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 5, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$293 27%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 335% $980

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$199 18.4%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 102% $204

Eating Out

Erbil

$180 16.6%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 93.3% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$172 15.9%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 101% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$96 8.9%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 34% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$88 8.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 2.1% $1.9

Getting Around

Erbil

$56 5.2%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 1.8% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $463 in Erbil and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 766% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Erbil vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $403 per month, with Erbil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

22:23 10:23 PM

8 h behind Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

974,447

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,695 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Erbil Austin, TX 11,620 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erbil wins on cost – living expenses run 147% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Erbil the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 766% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $463 in Erbil versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,096 per month in Erbil versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 147% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Erbil runs roughly 6% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,096 in Erbil versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Erbil but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Erbil the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Erbil and Austin, TX are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Erbil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 147% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.