Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $958 a month against $1,048 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Baghdad outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Baghdad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $958 in Erbil versus $1,048 in Baghdad.

Erbil $958
Baghdad $1,048

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,427 in Erbil versus $1,508 in Baghdad.

Erbil $1,427
Baghdad $1,508

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Erbil versus $1,968 in Baghdad.

Erbil $1,896
Baghdad $1,968

Living in Erbil costs roughly 9% less than in Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Erbil 30% lower, Baghdad 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$4.54 IQD 6,866

41.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$26.64 IQD 40.3K

37.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$6.47 IQD 9,781

14.53%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$2.68 IQD 4,054

20.90%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.39 IQD 584

128.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.20 IQD 302

65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$3.31 IQD 5,009

73.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$3.22 IQD 4,866

21.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$0.92 IQD 1,390

16.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.71 IQD 1,078

-5.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$1.32 IQD 1,999

15.15%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$1.71 IQD 2,577

-6.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$3.30 IQD 4,989

112.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$4.15 IQD 6,269

5.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

3.51%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$1.00 IQD 1,513

-6.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$0.98 IQD 1,487

3.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$0.95 IQD 1,440

7.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$0.68 IQD 1,021

2.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.58 IQD 877

12.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$0.57 IQD 854

10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.60 IQD 903

6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.61 IQD 927

-14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$1.67 IQD 2,531

31.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

-6.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.99 IQD 3,005

-27.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.96 IQD 2,962

-8.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.32 IQD 480

53.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

$20.04 IQD 30.3K

96.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$2.02 IQD 3,045

-17.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$1.30 IQD 1,964

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$6.67 IQD 10.1K

-13.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.58 IQD 870

-1.72%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

1.57%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

2.58%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$188 IQD 284.5K

-40.93%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$19.25 IQD 29.1K

-36.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$37.51 IQD 56.7K

-34.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$39.97 IQD 60.4K

42.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

$18.38 IQD 27.8K

-26.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$9.70 IQD 14.7K

-0.72%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$145 IQD 219.6K

102.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$3,297 IQD 5.0M

-17.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$25.60 IQD 38.7K

4.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$33.32 IQD 50.3K

15.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$60.2 IQD 90.9K

1.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$41.85 IQD 63.2K

43.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$537 IQD 811.6K

-20.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$364 IQD 550.5K

-25.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$963 IQD 1.5M

-27.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$624 IQD 943.1K

-35.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$4,276 IQD 6.5M

-76.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$1,379 IQD 2.1M

-55.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$518 IQD 782.8K

0.11%

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 Baghdad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Baghdad

$364 34.8% 34.3% $93

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Baghdad

$164 15.6% 5.7% $9.9

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Baghdad

$113 10.8% 26.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Baghdad

$245 23.4% 65.5% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Baghdad

$72 6.9% 13.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Baghdad

$59 5.7% 22.1% $17

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Baghdad

$30 2.9% 41.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $426 in Erbil and $537 in Baghdad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Erbil vs $27 in Baghdad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $164 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

7,216,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Erbil Baghdad 320 km

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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 Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erbil wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Baghdad. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Erbil the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,437 in Erbil and $1,572 in Baghdad 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 $537 in Baghdad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baghdad runs roughly 49% less than in Erbil. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $294 in Erbil versus $145 in Baghdad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.