Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Sinjar

For one person, living is cheaper in Sinjar: $540 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Sinjar
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Sinjar Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Sinjar

🇮🇶 Iraq

$540

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Sinjar

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Erbil vs $540 in Sinjar, rent included.

Erbil $958
Sinjar $540

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Erbil vs $842 in Sinjar, rent included.

Erbil $1,427
Sinjar $842

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Erbil vs $1,145 in Sinjar, rent included.

Erbil $1,896
Sinjar $1,145

Erbil costs about 77% more than Sinjar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Erbil and Sinjar are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 30% lower, Sinjar 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$4.07 IQD 6,152

57.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$7.72 IQD 11.7K

373.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

3.78%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$0.68 IQD 1,023

376.47%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.34 IQD 519

161.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.17 IQD 263

94.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$0.97 IQD 1,470

492.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$1.69 IQD 2,557

131.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$0.69 IQD 1,041

55.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.69 IQD 1,037

-2.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$0.63 IQD 955

141.27%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$1.57 IQD 2,374

1.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$2.00 IQD 3,030

250.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$4.05 IQD 6,124

8.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$10.39 IQD 15.7K

21.94%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$0.69 IQD 1,037

36.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$0.67 IQD 1,017

50.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$0.63 IQD 952

61.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$0.68 IQD 1,024

2.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.65 IQD 977

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$0.59 IQD 894

6.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.66 IQD 993

-3.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.32 IQD 477

62.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$1.63 IQD 2,458

34.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$6.44 IQD 9,726

68.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.01 IQD 1,522

43.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.63 IQD 2,466

9.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.30 IQD 456

63.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$1.62 IQD 2,443

3.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$1.53 IQD 2,318

4.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$5.51 IQD 8,319

4.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.29 IQD 437

96.55%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

3.56%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

0.06%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$39.11 IQD 59.1K

184.43%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$12.27 IQD 18.5K

-0.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$24.36 IQD 36.8K

1.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$37.27 IQD 56.3K

52.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

$33.40 IQD 50.5K

-59.64%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

-1.33%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$292 IQD 441.8K

0.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$2,747 IQD 4.2M

-0.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$10.19 IQD 15.4K

162.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$9.82 IQD 14.8K

291.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

2.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$58.8 IQD 88.8K

1.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$211 IQD 318.4K

102.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$138 IQD 208.5K

96.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$412 IQD 623.1K

69.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$281 IQD 424.3K

43.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$733 IQD 1.1M

38.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$552 IQD 834.2K

11.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$197 IQD 297.0K

163.89%

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 Sinjar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Sinjar

$138 25.6% 49.2% $133

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Sinjar

$124 23% 28.5% $49

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Sinjar

$72 13.4% 52.9% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Sinjar

$76 14% 48.8% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Sinjar

$62 11.5% 25.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Sinjar

$57 10.5% 25.5% $19

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Sinjar

$11 * 1.9% 79.4% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Erbil versus $211 in Sinjar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Erbil are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil versus $8 in Sinjar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $124 – making Sinjar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Sinjar

🕒 Local time

19:44 7:44 PM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

88,023

💱 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

On the map

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Erbil Sinjar 190 km

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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 Sinjar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Erbil is pricier by about 77%, 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 $810 in Sinjar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sinjar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $426 in Erbil.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $958 in Erbil and $540 in Sinjar. That’s a gap of about 77%.

Kindergarten costs $294 per month in Erbil and $292 in Sinjar. 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 $958 in Erbil and $540 in Sinjar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Erbil has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $540 in Sinjar to $958 in Erbil. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Sinjar. 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.