Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Szombathely

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $958 a month against $1,222 in Szombathely, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Szombathely
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Szombathely Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Szombathely

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Szombathely

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Erbil vs $1,222 in Szombathely, rent included.

Erbil $958
Szombathely $1,222

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Erbil vs $1,944 in Szombathely, rent included.

Erbil $1,427
Szombathely $1,944

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Erbil vs $2,666 in Szombathely, rent included.

Erbil $1,896
Szombathely $2,666

Erbil is about 22% cheaper than Szombathely, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Erbil and Szombathely are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 30% lower, Szombathely 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$11.43 Ft 3,732

-43.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$53.7 Ft 17.5K

-31.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$9.03 Ft 2,950

-17.94%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$2.36 Ft 769

37.29%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$1.29 Ft 420

-31.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$1.22 Ft 397

-72.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$1.71 Ft 557

236.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$2.24 Ft 733

75.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$1.19 Ft 389

-10.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$1.63 Ft 532

-58.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$2.49 Ft 814

-38.96%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$3.26 Ft 1,064

-50.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$10.39 Ft 3,393

-32.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$6.78 Ft 2,216

-35.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$16.03 Ft 5,235

-20.96%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$2.23 Ft 727

-57.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$2.04 Ft 667

-50.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$2.39 Ft 780

-57.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$3.42 Ft 1,118

-79.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$1.07 Ft 350

-39.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$1.39 Ft 454

-54.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$1.77 Ft 578

-63.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.55 Ft 180

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$8.90 Ft 2,906

-75.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$4.45 Ft 1,452

143.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.27 Ft 414

14.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$2.52 Ft 824

-28.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.83 Ft 270

-40.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

$26.83 Ft 8,763

46.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$2.67 Ft 873

-37.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$1.33 Ft 434

20.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$23.51 Ft 7,677

-75.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$1.81 Ft 592

-68.51%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$27.3K Ft 8.9M

-38.57%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$33.0K Ft 10.8M

-48.14%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$166 Ft 54.3K

-33.15%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$20.51 Ft 6,698

-40.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$21.05 Ft 6,875

16.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$51.0 Ft 16.7K

11.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

$17.97 Ft 5,869

-24.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$4.46 Ft 1,458

115.92%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$433 Ft 141.3K

-32.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$7,571 Ft 2.5M

-63.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$100 Ft 32.8K

-73.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$51.6 Ft 16.9K

-25.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$96.0 Ft 31.3K

-36.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$111 Ft 36.3K

-46.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$521 Ft 170.3K

-18.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$329 Ft 107.5K

-17.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$746 Ft 243.8K

-6.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$643 Ft 210.0K

-37.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$2,419 Ft 790.0K

-57.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$1,983 Ft 647.6K

-68.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$1,165 Ft 380.4K

-55.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

7.5

-66.27%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Last update for Szombathely: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Szombathely

$329 26.9% 21.3% $58

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Szombathely

$254 20.8% 46.5% $81

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Szombathely

$170 13.9% 10.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Szombathely

$208 17% 40.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Szombathely

$162 13.2% 93% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Szombathely

$60 4.9% 21.4% $16

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Szombathely

$39 3.2% 22.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Erbil versus $521 in Szombathely. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Szombathely are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil versus $54 in Szombathely. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $254 – making Erbil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇭🇺 Szombathely

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

20:17 8:17 PM

2 h behind Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

77,757

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Erbil Szombathely 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Szombathely

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 Szombathely: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Szombathely is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,437 per month in Erbil and $1,834 in Szombathely. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $521 in Szombathely.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Szombathely, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil and $54 in Szombathely. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

If budget matters most, go with Erbil. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Szombathely makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.