Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Ba'qubah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ba’qubah: $511 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Ba'qubah
Learn more

Ba'qubah Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Ba'qubah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Ba'qubah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $958 in Erbil versus $511 in Ba’qubah.

Erbil $958
Ba'qubah $511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,427 in Erbil versus $819 in Ba’qubah.

Erbil $1,427
Ba'qubah $819

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Erbil versus $1,128 in Ba’qubah.

Erbil $1,896
Ba'qubah $1,128

Living in Erbil is roughly 87% more expensive than in Ba’qubah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Erbil 30% lower, Ba’qubah 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$4.16 IQD 6,289

54.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$13.19 IQD 19.9K

177.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$5.46 IQD 8,250

35.71%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$1.03 IQD 1,555

214.56%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.48 IQD 726

85.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.16 IQD 246

106.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$1.60 IQD 2,421

259.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$4.04 IQD 6,101

-2.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$0.95 IQD 1,432

12.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.52 IQD 780

28.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$0.95 IQD 1,438

60.00%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$1.24 IQD 1,873

29.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$1.96 IQD 2,966

257.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$2.11 IQD 3,183

107.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

40.15%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$0.87 IQD 1,310

8.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$0.96 IQD 1,456

5.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$0.82 IQD 1,237

24.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$0.49 IQD 737

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.52 IQD 791

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$0.60 IQD 901

5.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.43 IQD 649

48.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.19 IQD 287

173.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$2.13 IQD 3,216

2.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$10.90 IQD 16.5K

-0.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.42 IQD 2,153

2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.84 IQD 2,782

-2.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.32 IQD 477

53.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$1.69 IQD 2,550

-1.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$1.56 IQD 2,358

2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$4.58 IQD 6,926

26.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.29 IQD 431

96.55%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

2.00%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$17.2K IQD 26.0M

-0.54%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$50.2 IQD 75.9K

121.42%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

1.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$22.87 IQD 34.6K

7.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$16.35 IQD 24.7K

248.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$3.38 IQD 5,107

184.91%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$23.01 IQD 34.8K

1176.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$550 IQD 831.0K

395.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$16.83 IQD 25.4K

58.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$16.36 IQD 24.7K

135.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

2.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$23.44 IQD 35.4K

155.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$205 IQD 309.3K

108.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$137 IQD 206.9K

98.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$381 IQD 576.1K

83.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$348 IQD 525.6K

16.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$860 IQD 1.3M

18.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$489 IQD 738.4K

25.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$626 IQD 946.4K

-17.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

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

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ba'qubah: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Ba'qubah

$137 26.8% 49.5% $134

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Ba'qubah

$122 23.9% 29.6% $51

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Ba'qubah

$81 15.8% 47.6% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Ba'qubah

$85 16.7% 42.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Ba'qubah

$52 10.2% 37.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Ba'qubah

$23 4.5% 69.7% $53

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Ba'qubah

$11 * 2.1% 78.9% $40

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 $205 in Ba’qubah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ba’qubah pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Erbil vs $13 in Ba’qubah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $122 per month, with Ba’qubah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Ba'qubah

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

268,866

💱 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

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Erbil Ba'qubah 280 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 Ba'qubah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ba’qubah is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and groceries. The 87% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Erbil. 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: $426 in Erbil versus $205 in Ba’qubah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $294 in Erbil versus $23 in Ba’qubah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ba’qubah – a meal for two runs $13 versus $37 in Erbil. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.