Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Kalar

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalar: $500 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kalar
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Kalar Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Kalar

🇮🇶 Iraq

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Kalar

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Erbil vs $500 in Kalar, rent included.

Erbil $958
Kalar $500

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Erbil vs $745 in Kalar, rent included.

Erbil $1,427
Kalar $745

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Erbil vs $991 in Kalar, rent included.

Erbil $1,896
Kalar $991

Erbil costs about 92% more than Kalar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Erbil and Kalar are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 30% lower, Kalar 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$4.18 IQD 6,314

53.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$10.53 IQD 15.9K

247.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$3.07 IQD 4,646

141.37%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$0.85 IQD 1,283

281.18%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.45 IQD 683

97.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.14 IQD 215

135.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$5.49 IQD 8,290

4.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$3.93 IQD 5,939

-0.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$0.92 IQD 1,388

16.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.72 IQD 1,091

-6.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$1.29 IQD 1,946

17.83%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$1.12 IQD 1,698

42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$2.90 IQD 4,376

141.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$2.00 IQD 3,020

119.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$10.87 IQD 16.4K

16.56%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$0.81 IQD 1,219

16.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$0.97 IQD 1,462

4.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$0.85 IQD 1,286

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$0.70 IQD 1,053

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.58 IQD 873

12.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$0.63 IQD 948

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.60 IQD 908

6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.39 IQD 586

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$2.09 IQD 3,165

4.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$10.72 IQD 16.2K

1.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.46 IQD 2,213

-0.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.86 IQD 2,815

-3.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.49 IQD 740

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

$26.14 IQD 39.5K

50.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$1.67 IQD 2,526

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$1.55 IQD 2,347

3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$3.34 IQD 5,039

73.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.54 IQD 815

5.56%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$14.6K IQD 22.1M

14.82%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

4.31%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$46.19 IQD 69.8K

140.83%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$11.71 IQD 17.7K

4.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$20.88 IQD 31.6K

17.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$16.77 IQD 25.3K

239.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

$32.49 IQD 49.1K

-58.51%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$6.74 IQD 10.2K

42.88%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$43.60 IQD 65.9K

573.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$1,306 IQD 2.0M

108.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$10.86 IQD 16.4K

145.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$12.02 IQD 18.2K

220.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$22.98 IQD 34.7K

165.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$28.22 IQD 42.6K

112.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$151 IQD 228.0K

182.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$92.5 IQD 139.8K

193.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$246 IQD 371.6K

184.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$126 IQD 189.7K

221.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$874 IQD 1.3M

16.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$392 IQD 591.7K

57.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$300 IQD 453.4K

72.87%

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 Kalar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Kalar

$93 18.5% 65.9% $179

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Kalar

$137 27.4% 21.3% $37

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Kalar

$91 18.1% 41.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Kalar

$79 15.8% 46.8% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Kalar

$33 6.7% 60.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Kalar

$30 6.1% 60.3% $46

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Kalar

$38 7.5% 26.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Erbil versus $151 in Kalar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 73% higher in Erbil, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil versus $11 in Kalar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $137 – making Kalar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Kalar

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

250,000

💱 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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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 Kalar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Erbil is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,437 per month in Erbil and $749 in Kalar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kalar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $151 there versus $426 in Erbil.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Erbil, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil and $11 in Kalar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Kalar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Kalar. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Erbil makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.