Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Suzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Suzhou: $889 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Suzhou
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Suzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Suzhou

🇨🇳 China

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Suzhou

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Erbil vs $889 in Suzhou, rent included.

Erbil $958
Suzhou $889

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Erbil vs $1,471 in Suzhou, rent included.

Erbil $1,427
Suzhou $1,471

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Erbil vs $2,053 in Suzhou, rent included.

Erbil $1,896
Suzhou $2,053

Erbil costs about 8% more than Suzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Erbil and Suzhou are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 30% lower, Suzhou 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$4.12 ¥27.41

55.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$30.26 ¥201

20.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$5.21 ¥34.64

42.23%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$3.39 ¥22.57

-4.42%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$0.69 ¥4.56

28.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.42 ¥2.76

-21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$2.29 ¥15.25

151.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$4.37 ¥29.04

-10.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$1.92 ¥12.75

-44.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$1.96 ¥13.02

-65.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$1.30 ¥8.62

16.92%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$1.81 ¥12.04

-11.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$17.95 ¥119

-61.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$3.39 ¥22.52

29.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$8.74 ¥58.1

44.97%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$1.98 ¥13.17

-52.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$1.24 ¥8.24

-18.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$1.35 ¥8.97

-24.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$1.44 ¥9.56

-51.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.64 ¥4.29

1.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$1.19 ¥7.90

-47.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.85 ¥5.62

-24.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.56 ¥3.71

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$4.47 ¥29.75

-51.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$8.86 ¥59.0

22.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.07 ¥7.10

35.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$2.14 ¥14.21

-16.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.31 ¥2.06

58.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

$44.83 ¥298

-12.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$1.70 ¥11.32

-1.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$0.36 ¥2.39

344.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$10.01 ¥66.6

-42.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$1.34 ¥8.90

-57.46%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$19.5K ¥129.5K

-13.71%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$18.0K ¥119.8K

-4.91%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$99.9 ¥664

11.35%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$12.89 ¥85.7

-5.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$11.35 ¥75.5

116.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$34.10 ¥227

67.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

$19.04 ¥127

-29.20%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$5.90 ¥39.26

63.22%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$1,237 ¥8,225

-76.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$21.4K ¥142.6K

-87.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$51.4 ¥342

-48.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$41.03 ¥273

-6.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$83.9 ¥558

-27.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$86.7 ¥577

-30.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$388 ¥2,583

9.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$217 ¥1,444

25.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$1,019 ¥6,779

-31.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$560 ¥3,726

-27.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$4,826 ¥32.1K

-78.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$2,609 ¥17.4K

-76.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$1,367 ¥9,093

-62.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

3.53

-28.33%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Last update for Suzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Suzhou

$217 24.4% 20% $54

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Suzhou

$220 24.7% 26.6% $46

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Suzhou

$114 12.8% 26% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Suzhou

$124 14% 16.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Suzhou

$118 13.3% 41.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Suzhou

$46 5.2% 39.8% $30

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Suzhou

$50 5.6% 2.7% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Erbil versus $388 in Suzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Suzhou are about 2.6 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil versus $30 in Suzhou. Groceries tell a different story – $174 in Erbil vs $220 in Suzhou – so Erbil wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇨🇳 Suzhou

🕒 Local time

17:36 5:36 PM

22:36 10:36 PM

5 h ahead of Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

12,748,262

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,690 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Erbil Suzhou 6,920 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Suzhou

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 Suzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Erbil is pricier by about 8%, 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 $1,333 in Suzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $426 in Erbil and $388 in Suzhou. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Erbil – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil and $30 in Suzhou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $958 in Erbil and $889 in Suzhou, 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 $889 in Suzhou to $958 in Erbil. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.