Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $668 a month against $956 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$956

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Sulaymaniyah

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Erbil vs $668 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Erbil $956
Sulaymaniyah $668

A couple spends around $1,421 per month in Erbil vs $1,038 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Erbil $1,421
Sulaymaniyah $1,038

A family of three spends $1,887 per month in Erbil vs $1,407 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Erbil $1,887
Sulaymaniyah $1,407

Erbil costs about 43% more than Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Erbil and Sulaymaniyah are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 29% lower, Sulaymaniyah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 IQD 9,753

$4.41 IQD 6,664

46.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.44 IQD 55.1K

$20.08 IQD 30.3K

81.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 IQD 10.7K

$6.02 IQD 9,090

17.77%

Cappuccino

$3.23 IQD 4,873

$2.38 IQD 3,595

35.71%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,338

$0.42 IQD 639

111.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 503

$0.22 IQD 332

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 IQD 7,819

$3.25 IQD 4,910

59.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 IQD 5,825

$1.96 IQD 2,968

96.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 IQD 1,600

$1.10 IQD 1,659

-3.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,101

$0.86 IQD 1,300

-15.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,300

$1.65 IQD 2,494

-7.88%

Eggs

$1.57 IQD 2,373

$1.48 IQD 2,232

6.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 IQD 10.4K

$4.46 IQD 6,743

54.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.27 IQD 6,458

$3.53 IQD 5,334

20.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 IQD 18.9K

$12.97 IQD 19.6K

-3.55%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,501

$1.14 IQD 1,730

-13.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,495

$1.07 IQD 1,619

-7.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,555

$1.01 IQD 1,524

1.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 988

$0.58 IQD 878

12.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 964

$0.49 IQD 739

30.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 925

$0.59 IQD 892

3.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 909

$0.63 IQD 950

-4.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 709

$0.45 IQD 682

4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 IQD 3,250

$2.00 IQD 3,021

7.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 IQD 16.3K

$9.99 IQD 15.1K

8.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 IQD 2,222

$1.67 IQD 2,527

-11.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,825

$1.26 IQD 1,899

48.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 IQD 718

$0.51 IQD 769

-5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.85 IQD 58.7K

$19.73 IQD 29.8K

96.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,531

$1.95 IQD 2,952

-13.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,421

$1.94 IQD 2,925

-17.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 IQD 8,566

$4.60 IQD 6,957

23.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 825

$0.57 IQD 857

-3.51%

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

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

-7.20%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

2.20%

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

$113 IQD 170.3K

$87.2 IQD 131.7K

29.31%

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

$12.21 IQD 18.4K

$10.17 IQD 15.4K

20.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.30 IQD 36.7K

$23.75 IQD 35.9K

2.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 IQD 85.5K

$34.59 IQD 52.3K

63.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.33 IQD 20.1K

$17.49 IQD 26.4K

-23.79%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 IQD 15.1K

$6.66 IQD 10.1K

50.15%

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

$315 IQD 476.0K

$150 IQD 227.3K

109.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,809 IQD 4.2M

$2,553 IQD 3.9M

10.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.70 IQD 40.3K

$16.58 IQD 25.0K

61.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 IQD 59.8K

$21.70 IQD 32.8K

82.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

$37.04 IQD 56.0K

60.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

$33.18 IQD 50.1K

79.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 IQD 639.7K

$187 IQD 283.1K

125.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 IQD 415.2K

$149 IQD 225.8K

83.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 IQD 1.1M

$410 IQD 619.7K

70.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 IQD 613.1K

$313 IQD 472.8K

29.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

$688 IQD 1.0M

52.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$608 IQD 919.3K

$530 IQD 800.5K

14.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$525 IQD 793.9K

$487 IQD 735.7K

7.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

5.77

-56.15%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$275 28.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$149 22.4% 45.6% $125

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$172 18%

Sulaymaniyah

$163 24.4% 5.5% $9.5

Eating Out

Erbil

$150 15.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$105 15.7% 30.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$149 15.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$121 18.1% 18.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$83 8.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.3% 41.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$77 8%

Sulaymaniyah

$48 7.2% 37.5% $29

Getting Around

Erbil

$50 5.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$33 5% 33.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $423 in Erbil versus $187 in Sulaymaniyah. 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 8% 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 $20.00 in Sulaymaniyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $163 – making Sulaymaniyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

Same time as Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

823,199

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Erbil Sulaymaniyah 150 km

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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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Erbil is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,435 per month in Erbil and $1,002 in Sulaymaniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 6% more in Erbil, 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 $20.00 in Sulaymaniyah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $956 in Erbil and $668 in Sulaymaniyah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Sulaymaniyah – 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 Sulaymaniyah. 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.