Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Lusaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusaka: $876 a month against $956 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Erbil outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
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Lusaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$956

/mo nomad

Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Lusaka

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Erbil vs $876 in Lusaka, rent included.

Erbil $956
Lusaka $876

A couple spends around $1,421 per month in Erbil vs $1,497 in Lusaka, rent included.

Erbil $1,421
Lusaka $1,497

A family of three spends $1,887 per month in Erbil vs $2,117 in Lusaka, rent included.

Erbil $1,887
Lusaka $2,117

Erbil costs about 9% more than Lusaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Erbil and Lusaka are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 29% lower, Lusaka 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 IQD 9,753

$5.63 ZMW 112

14.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.44 IQD 55.1K

$30.45 ZMW 606

19.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 IQD 10.7K

$5.14 ZMW 102

37.94%

Cappuccino

$3.23 IQD 4,873

$2.86 ZMW 56.8

12.94%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,338

$0.78 ZMW 15.60

14.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 503

$0.45 ZMW 8.92

-26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 IQD 7,819

$1.29 ZMW 25.56

300.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 IQD 5,825

$2.32 ZMW 46.24

65.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 IQD 1,600

$1.67 ZMW 33.20

-36.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,101

$1.23 ZMW 24.48

-40.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,300

$2.09 ZMW 41.62

-27.27%

Eggs

$1.57 IQD 2,373

$1.90 ZMW 37.77

-17.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 IQD 10.4K

$10.34 ZMW 206

-33.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.27 IQD 6,458

$6.41 ZMW 128

-33.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 IQD 18.9K

$6.47 ZMW 129

93.35%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,501

$3.45 ZMW 68.5

-71.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,495

$2.45 ZMW 48.71

-59.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,555

$3.62 ZMW 72.1

-71.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 988

$1.58 ZMW 31.35

-58.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 964

$2.62 ZMW 52.0

-75.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 925

$1.88 ZMW 37.39

-67.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 909

$1.15 ZMW 22.93

-47.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 709

$0.75 ZMW 14.96

-37.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 IQD 3,250

$3.07 ZMW 61.1

-29.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 IQD 16.3K

$10.23 ZMW 203

5.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 IQD 2,222

$1.42 ZMW 28.24

3.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,825

$2.24 ZMW 44.47

-16.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 IQD 718

$1.03 ZMW 20.44

-53.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.85 IQD 58.7K

$50.4 ZMW 1,003

-22.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,531

$2.47 ZMW 49.14

-31.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,421

$1.52 ZMW 30.29

5.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 IQD 8,566

$5.12 ZMW 102

10.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 825

$1.49 ZMW 29.71

-63.09%

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

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

$7,550 ZMW 150.2K

116.43%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$27.2K ZMW 540.1K

-37.51%

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

$113 IQD 170.3K

$79.3 ZMW 1,577

42.13%

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

$12.21 IQD 18.4K

$10.56 ZMW 210

15.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.30 IQD 36.7K

$55.0 ZMW 1,093

-55.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 IQD 85.5K

$53.9 ZMW 1,072

5.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.33 IQD 20.1K

$15.21 ZMW 303

-12.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 IQD 15.1K

$6.06 ZMW 121

65.02%

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

$315 IQD 476.0K

$141 ZMW 2,802

123.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,809 IQD 4.2M

$16.7K ZMW 331.8K

-83.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.70 IQD 40.3K

$23.49 ZMW 467

13.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 IQD 59.8K

$15.47 ZMW 308

155.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

$45.00 ZMW 895

31.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

$71.8 ZMW 1,429

-17.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 IQD 639.7K

$392 ZMW 7,794

8.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 IQD 415.2K

$181 ZMW 3,597

51.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 IQD 1.1M

$1,095 ZMW 21.8K

-36.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 IQD 613.1K

$602 ZMW 12.0K

-32.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

$1,949 ZMW 38.8K

-46.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$608 IQD 919.3K

$4,934 ZMW 98.1K

-87.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$525 IQD 793.9K

$311 ZMW 6,182

69.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

-91.28%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lusaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$275 28.7%

Lusaka

$181 20.6% 34.2% $94

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$172 18%

Lusaka

$239 27.3% 38.9% $67

Eating Out

Erbil

$150 15.7%

Lusaka

$111 12.6% 26.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$149 15.6%

Lusaka

$145 16.5% 3% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$83 8.7%

Lusaka

$70 8% 15.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$77 8%

Lusaka

$66 7.5% 13.8% $11

Getting Around

Erbil

$50 5.3%

Lusaka

$65 7.4% 28.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $423 in Erbil versus $392 in Lusaka. 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 69% 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 $36.00 in Erbil versus $30.00 in Lusaka. Groceries tell a different story – $172 in Erbil vs $239 in Lusaka – so Erbil wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

1 h behind Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

1,742,979 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Erbil Lusaka 5,970 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Lusaka

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 Lusaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Erbil is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,435 per month in Erbil and $1,314 in Lusaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lusaka, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 39% cheaper in Erbil – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Erbil and $30.00 in Lusaka. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lusaka, where all-in costs run around $876, than in Erbil at $956. In Lusaka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Erbil it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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