Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Az Zubayr

For one person, living is cheaper in Az Zubayr: $656 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Az Zubayr
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Az Zubayr Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Az Zubayr

🇮🇶 Iraq

$656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Az Zubayr

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $958 in Erbil versus $656 in Az Zubayr.

Erbil $958
Az Zubayr $656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,427 in Erbil versus $1,021 in Az Zubayr.

Erbil $1,427
Az Zubayr $1,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Erbil versus $1,387 in Az Zubayr.

Erbil $1,896
Az Zubayr $1,387

Living in Erbil is roughly 46% more expensive than in Az Zubayr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Erbil 30% lower, Az Zubayr 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$4.37 IQD 6,602

46.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$19.52 IQD 29.5K

87.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$5.58 IQD 8,436

32.80%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$2.65 IQD 4,001

22.26%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.33 IQD 497

169.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.20 IQD 297

65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$3.38 IQD 5,107

70.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$2.28 IQD 3,447

71.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$1.00 IQD 1,513

7.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.76 IQD 1,152

-11.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$1.59 IQD 2,399

-4.40%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$1.46 IQD 2,203

9.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$4.38 IQD 6,621

59.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$3.43 IQD 5,189

27.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

4.80%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$1.07 IQD 1,623

-12.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$0.99 IQD 1,502

2.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$1.03 IQD 1,561

-0.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$0.66 IQD 994

6.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.57 IQD 855

14.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$0.67 IQD 1,012

-5.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.56 IQD 852

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.44 IQD 671

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$1.47 IQD 2,225

48.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$11.27 IQD 17.0K

-3.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.42 IQD 2,149

2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.62 IQD 2,450

10.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.32 IQD 479

53.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$1.68 IQD 2,543

-0.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$1.12 IQD 1,698

42.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$5.39 IQD 8,146

7.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.53 IQD 803

7.55%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$15.9K IQD 24.0M

5.85%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

4.02%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$94.9 IQD 143.4K

17.24%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$11.70 IQD 17.7K

4.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$27.28 IQD 41.2K

-9.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$39.31 IQD 59.4K

44.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$7.83 IQD 11.8K

22.99%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$137 IQD 206.7K

114.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$2,772 IQD 4.2M

-1.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$18.27 IQD 27.6K

46.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$21.75 IQD 32.9K

76.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$53.7 IQD 81.2K

13.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

52.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$200 IQD 302.7K

112.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$133 IQD 200.3K

104.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$418 IQD 631.5K

67.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$315 IQD 476.0K

28.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$833 IQD 1.3M

22.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$479 IQD 723.6K

28.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

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 Az Zubayr: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Az Zubayr

$133 20.2% 51.2% $139

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Az Zubayr

$159 24.2% 8.6% $15

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Az Zubayr

$107 16.3% 30.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Az Zubayr

$134 20.4% 9.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Az Zubayr

$60 9.1% 28.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Az Zubayr

$55 8.4% 27.9% $21

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Az Zubayr

$8.6 * 1.3% 83.2% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $426 in Erbil and $200 in Az Zubayr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Erbil vs $20 in Az Zubayr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $159 per month, with Az Zubayr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Az Zubayr

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

370,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Erbil Az Zubayr 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Az Zubayr

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 Az Zubayr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $958 in Erbil and $656 in Az Zubayr, so Az Zubayr is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,437 in Erbil and $983 in Az Zubayr to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $426 in Erbil versus $200 in Az Zubayr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Erbil. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $958 per month in Erbil versus $656 in Az Zubayr – Az Zubayr is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Az Zubayr gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.