Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $652 a month against $956 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$956

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$652

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Basra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $956 in Erbil versus $652 in Basra.

Erbil $956
Basra $652

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,421 in Erbil versus $1,179 in Basra.

Erbil $1,421
Basra $1,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,887 in Erbil versus $1,706 in Basra.

Erbil $1,887
Basra $1,706

Living in Erbil is roughly 47% more expensive than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Erbil 29% lower, Basra 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 IQD 9,753

$4.06 IQD 6,134

58.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.44 IQD 55.1K

$26.00 IQD 39.3K

40.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 IQD 10.7K

$6.42 IQD 9,706

10.44%

Cappuccino

$3.23 IQD 4,873

$2.21 IQD 3,342

46.15%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,338

$0.36 IQD 551

147.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 503

$0.30 IQD 455

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 IQD 7,819

$3.21 IQD 4,849

61.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 IQD 5,825

$3.57 IQD 5,394

7.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 IQD 1,600

$0.97 IQD 1,460

9.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,101

$0.56 IQD 841

30.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,300

$1.25 IQD 1,895

21.60%

Eggs

$1.57 IQD 2,373

$1.62 IQD 2,442

-3.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 IQD 10.4K

$6.28 IQD 9,486

9.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.27 IQD 6,458

$5.33 IQD 8,061

-19.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 IQD 18.9K

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

3.22%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,501

$0.90 IQD 1,356

10.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,495

$1.18 IQD 1,787

-16.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,555

$0.84 IQD 1,266

22.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 988

$0.60 IQD 904

8.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 964

$0.69 IQD 1,044

-7.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 925

$0.53 IQD 802

15.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 909

$0.77 IQD 1,160

-22.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 709

$0.36 IQD 546

30.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 IQD 3,250

$1.79 IQD 2,705

20.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 IQD 16.3K

$10.93 IQD 16.5K

-1.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 IQD 2,222

$1.46 IQD 2,204

0.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,825

$1.73 IQD 2,617

8.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 IQD 718

$0.50 IQD 756

-4.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.85 IQD 58.7K

$16.76 IQD 25.3K

131.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,531

$1.95 IQD 2,946

-13.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,421

$1.94 IQD 2,930

-17.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 IQD 8,566

$6.35 IQD 9,594

-10.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 825

$0.56 IQD 849

-1.79%

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

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

39.25%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$19.5K IQD 29.5M

-13.05%

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

$113 IQD 170.3K

$44.55 IQD 67.3K

153.00%

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

$12.21 IQD 18.4K

$22.24 IQD 33.6K

-45.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.30 IQD 36.7K

$33.88 IQD 51.2K

-28.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 IQD 85.5K

$30.91 IQD 46.7K

83.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.33 IQD 20.1K

$11.94 IQD 18.0K

11.64%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 IQD 15.1K

$6.55 IQD 9,898

52.67%

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

$315 IQD 476.0K

$109 IQD 164.7K

189.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,809 IQD 4.2M

$3,250 IQD 4.9M

-13.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.70 IQD 40.3K

$43.34 IQD 65.5K

-38.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 IQD 59.8K

$17.27 IQD 26.1K

129.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

-11.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

$35.95 IQD 54.3K

65.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 IQD 639.7K

$409 IQD 617.4K

3.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 IQD 415.2K

$129 IQD 195.6K

112.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 IQD 1.1M

$748 IQD 1.1M

-6.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 IQD 613.1K

$539 IQD 814.7K

-24.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

$1,363 IQD 2.1M

-23.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$608 IQD 919.3K

$688 IQD 1.0M

-11.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$525 IQD 793.9K

$648 IQD 979.0K

-18.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

3.33

-24.02%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 11, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$275 28.7%

Basra

$129 19.9% 52.9% $145

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$172 18%

Basra

$170 26% 1.4% $2.4

Eating Out

Erbil

$150 15.7%

Basra

$104 16% 30.6% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$149 15.6%

Basra

$101 15.4% 32.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$83 8.7%

Basra

$74 11.3% 11.7% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$77 8%

Basra

$44 6.8% 42.5% $33

Getting Around

Erbil

$50 5.3%

Basra

$30 4.7% 39.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $423 in Erbil and $409 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basra pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36.00 in Erbil vs $26.00 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $170 per month, with Basra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

2,150,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Erbil Basra 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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 Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erbil and Basra differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($956 vs $652 including rent). Basra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Basra. 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: $423 in Erbil versus $409 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Erbil. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Basra – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $36.00 in Erbil. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Basra 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.

Safety-wise, Erbil and Basra 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 Basra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Erbil. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.