Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Cartagena, Spain

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $958 a month against $1,425 in Cartagena, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Cartagena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $958 in Erbil versus $1,425 in Cartagena.

Erbil $958
Cartagena $1,425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,427 in Erbil versus $2,101 in Cartagena.

Erbil $1,427
Cartagena $2,101

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Erbil versus $2,778 in Cartagena.

Erbil $1,896
Cartagena $2,778

Living in Erbil costs roughly 33% less than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Erbil is 30% below, Cartagena is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$13.84 €12.40

-53.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$56.2 €50.3

-34.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$7.95 €7.12

-6.79%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$2.47 €2.21

31.17%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$2.56 €2.30

-65.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$1.82 €1.63

-81.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$3.42 €3.06

68.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$3.86 €3.46

1.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$1.22 €1.09

-12.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$1.19 €1.06

-43.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$2.63 €2.35

-42.21%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$3.96 €3.54

-59.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$12.82 €11.48

-45.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$6.71 €6.01

-34.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$18.75 €16.79

-32.43%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$2.37 €2.12

-60.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$2.45 €2.19

-58.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$1.58 €1.42

-35.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$3.20 €2.87

-78.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$1.28 €1.14

-49.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$1.26 €1.13

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$1.53 €1.37

-58.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.69 €0.62

-24.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$5.71 €5.11

-61.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$6.30 €5.64

71.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.21 €1.08

19.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.17 €1.05

52.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$1.48 €1.32

-66.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

$11.08 €9.93

254.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$5.65 €5.06

-70.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$2.23 €2.00

-28.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$27.72 €24.83

-79.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$1.77 €1.59

-67.80%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$34.6K €30.9K

-51.39%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$29.9K €26.7K

-42.62%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$211 €189

-47.30%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$19.43 €17.40

-37.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$29.27 €26.21

-15.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$41.23 €36.92

38.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

$12.81 €11.47

5.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$7.72 €6.91

24.74%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$406 €364

-27.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$2,651 €2,374

2.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$46.46 €41.61

-42.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$34.88 €31.24

10.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$60.6 €54.2

0.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$101 €90.5

-40.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$596 €534

-28.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$490 €439

-44.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$872 €781

-19.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$720 €644

-43.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$1,737 €1,556

-41.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$1,427 €1,278

-56.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$1,704 €1,526

-69.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

4.06

-37.68%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Cartagena

$490 34.4% 80.5% $218

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Cartagena

$269 18.9% 55% $96

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Cartagena

$207 14.5% 34.2% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Cartagena

$260 18.2% 75.4% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Cartagena

$109 7.7% 30.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Cartagena

$57 4% 25.7% $20

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 33.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $426 in Erbil and $596 in Cartagena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Erbil vs $56 in Cartagena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $269 per month, with Erbil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

18:27 6:27 PM

2 h behind Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

218,050

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Erbil Cartagena 3,970 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Cartagena

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 Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erbil wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Cartagena. 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 70% 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 $596 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Erbil – a meal for two runs $37 versus $56 in Cartagena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $958 per month in Erbil versus $1,425 in Cartagena – Erbil is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Cartagena are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Erbil wins on affordability, Cartagena on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.