Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Olsztyn

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $956 a month against $1,816 in Olsztyn, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Olsztyn
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Olsztyn Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$956

/mo nomad

Olsztyn

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,816

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Olsztyn

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Erbil vs $1,816 in Olsztyn, rent included.

Erbil $956
Olsztyn $1,816

A couple spends around $1,421 per month in Erbil vs $2,678 in Olsztyn, rent included.

Erbil $1,421
Olsztyn $2,678

A family of three spends $1,887 per month in Erbil vs $3,540 in Olsztyn, rent included.

Erbil $1,887
Olsztyn $3,540

Erbil is about 47% cheaper than Olsztyn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Erbil sits 29% below the global median, while Olsztyn is 34% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 IQD 9,753

$12.84 zł 49.88

-49.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.44 IQD 55.1K

$50.4 zł 196

-27.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 IQD 10.7K

$8.92 zł 34.67

-20.52%

Cappuccino

$3.23 IQD 4,873

$3.31 zł 12.85

-2.42%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,338

$2.51 zł 9.75

-64.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 503

$1.87 zł 7.26

-82.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 IQD 7,819

$2.98 zł 11.59

73.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 IQD 5,825

$3.91 zł 15.18

-1.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 IQD 1,600

$1.05 zł 4.09

0.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,101

$1.26 zł 4.90

-42.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,300

$1.42 zł 5.52

7.04%

Eggs

$1.57 IQD 2,373

$3.85 zł 14.95

-59.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 IQD 10.4K

$9.72 zł 37.77

-29.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.27 IQD 6,458

$7.34 zł 28.51

-41.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 IQD 18.9K

$15.04 zł 58.5

-16.82%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,501

$1.23 zł 4.77

-19.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,495

$1.61 zł 6.25

-38.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,555

$1.80 zł 6.99

-42.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 988

$3.43 zł 13.32

-81.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 964

$0.97 zł 3.78

-34.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 925

$1.17 zł 4.54

-47.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 909

$1.37 zł 5.32

-56.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 709

$0.68 zł 2.64

-30.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 IQD 3,250

$5.49 zł 21.32

-60.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 IQD 16.3K

$7.42 zł 28.84

45.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 IQD 2,222

$1.13 zł 4.39

30.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,825

$1.54 zł 6.00

21.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 IQD 718

$1.05 zł 4.07

-54.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.85 IQD 58.7K

$25.79 zł 100

50.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,531

$2.08 zł 8.09

-19.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,421

$0.74 zł 2.88

116.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 IQD 8,566

$10.21 zł 39.67

-44.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 825

$1.66 zł 6.43

-66.87%

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

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

$31.4K zł 121.9K

-47.91%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$29.5K zł 114.4K

-42.38%

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

$113 IQD 170.3K

$329 zł 1,277

-65.71%

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

$12.21 IQD 18.4K

$10.17 zł 39.53

20.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.30 IQD 36.7K

$19.00 zł 73.8

27.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 IQD 85.5K

$50.7 zł 197

11.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.33 IQD 20.1K

$22.47 zł 87.3

-40.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 IQD 15.1K

$9.12 zł 35.42

9.65%

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

$315 IQD 476.0K

$378 zł 1,467

-16.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,809 IQD 4.2M

$13.7K zł 53.4K

-79.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.70 IQD 40.3K

$103 zł 399

-74.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 IQD 59.8K

$48.59 zł 189

-18.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

$103 zł 402

-42.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

$105 zł 406

-43.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 IQD 639.7K

$1,004 zł 3,900

-57.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 IQD 415.2K

$744 zł 2,892

-63.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 IQD 1.1M

$1,685 zł 6,546

-58.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 IQD 613.1K

$1,344 zł 5,221

-69.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

$3,690 zł 14.3K

-71.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$608 IQD 919.3K

$2,548 zł 9,898

-76.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$525 IQD 793.9K

$1,374 zł 5,338

-61.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

7.52

-66.36%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 11, 2026

Last update for Olsztyn: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$275 28.7%

Olsztyn

$744 41% 171% $470

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$172 18%

Olsztyn

$238 13.1% 38.2% $66

Eating Out

Erbil

$150 15.7%

Olsztyn

$209 11.5% 39.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$149 15.6%

Olsztyn

$358 19.7% 140% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$83 8.7%

Olsztyn

$162 8.9% 94.1% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$77 8%

Olsztyn

$69 3.8% 10.1% $7.7

Getting Around

Erbil

$50 5.3%

Olsztyn

$36 2% 29.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $423 in Erbil versus $1,004 in Olsztyn. 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 161% higher in Olsztyn, 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 $50.0 in Olsztyn. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $238 – making Erbil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇵🇱 Olsztyn

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

1 h behind Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

174,675

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Erbil Olsztyn 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Olsztyn

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 Olsztyn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Olsztyn is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,435 per month in Erbil and $2,724 in Olsztyn. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 38% more in Olsztyn, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Erbil and $50.0 in Olsztyn. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Erbil, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Olsztyn at $1,816. In Erbil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Olsztyn it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Erbil – 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 Erbil. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Olsztyn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.