Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Mashhad, Iraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $756 a month against $960 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$960

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Mashhad

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

A single person spends $960 per month in Erbil vs $756 in Mashhad, rent included.

Erbil $960
Mashhad $756

A couple spends around $1,439 per month in Erbil vs $1,119 in Mashhad, rent included.

Erbil $1,439
Mashhad $1,119

A family of three spends $1,918 per month in Erbil vs $1,481 in Mashhad, rent included.

Erbil $1,918
Mashhad $1,481

Erbil costs about 27% more than Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Erbil and Mashhad are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 29% lower, Mashhad 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.65 IQD 10.1K

$4.49 IQD 6,781

48.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.28 IQD 56.3K

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

39.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 IQD 11.0K

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

8.02%

Cappuccino

$3.25 IQD 4,914

$2.71 IQD 4,100

19.93%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,350

$0.36 IQD 542

147.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 545

$0.20 IQD 302

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 IQD 8,706

$3.37 IQD 5,090

70.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 IQD 6,834

$3.39 IQD 5,126

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 IQD 1,587

$0.91 IQD 1,368

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 IQD 970

$0.73 IQD 1,106

-12.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 IQD 2,180

$1.32 IQD 1,997

9.09%

Eggs

$1.52 IQD 2,298

$0.82 IQD 1,242

85.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

$3.41 IQD 5,157

106.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 IQD 6,661

$1.98 IQD 2,985

122.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.64 IQD 19.1K

$2.95 IQD 4,463

328.47%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,501

$1.03 IQD 1,556

-3.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,493

$0.91 IQD 1,377

8.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 IQD 1,612

$0.87 IQD 1,321

22.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,050

$0.64 IQD 971

7.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 972

$0.59 IQD 898

8.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 865

$0.56 IQD 840

1.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 IQD 998

$0.31 IQD 474

112.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 770

$0.21 IQD 321

142.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.12 IQD 3,209

$0.77 IQD 1,168

175.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.56 IQD 16.0K

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

-10.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,209

$1.92 IQD 2,898

-23.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,750

$1.87 IQD 2,832

-2.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 759

$0.34 IQD 520

47.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.67 IQD 59.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,520

$1.96 IQD 2,965

-14.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 IQD 2,325

$1.31 IQD 1,972

17.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 IQD 8,286

$6.42 IQD 9,699

-14.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 884

$0.54 IQD 810

7.41%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

-0.34%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.7M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

3.04%

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

$116 IQD 174.8K

$191 IQD 288.5K

-39.43%

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

$11.96 IQD 18.1K

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

-38.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.50 IQD 37.0K

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

-36.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

54.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.43 IQD 20.3K

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 IQD 15.1K

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

3.10%

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

$297 IQD 448.2K

$143 IQD 215.6K

107.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,080 IQD 6.2M

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

27.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.29 IQD 39.7K

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

2.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.72 IQD 58.5K

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

13.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.8 IQD 91.8K

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

3.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.8 IQD 88.9K

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

38.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$441 IQD 666.1K

$212 IQD 319.9K

108.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 IQD 404.7K

$139 IQD 210.6K

92.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$696 IQD 1.1M

$378 IQD 571.7K

83.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 IQD 626.0K

$319 IQD 482.6K

29.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

$862 IQD 1.3M

21.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$600 IQD 906.7K

$491 IQD 742.5K

22.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$514 IQD 776.4K

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$268 27.9%

Mashhad

$139 18.4% 48% $128

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$172 18%

Mashhad

$115 15.2% 33.3% $57

Eating Out

Erbil

$157 16.3%

Mashhad

$115 15.1% 27% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$152 15.8%

Mashhad

$249 32.9% 63.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$83 8.7%

Mashhad

$72 9.6% 12.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$77 8%

Mashhad

$56 7.4% 27% $21

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3% 80.7% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $441 in Erbil versus $212 in Mashhad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil versus $27 in Mashhad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $115 – making Mashhad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

13,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Erbil Mashhad 270 km

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Erbil is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,441 per month in Erbil and $1,134 in Mashhad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mashhad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $212 there versus $441 in Erbil.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $960 in Erbil and $756 in Mashhad. That makes Mashhad about 21% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $297 per month in Erbil and $143 in Mashhad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $960 in Erbil and $756 in Mashhad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.