Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Vila Real

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $956 a month against $1,234 in Vila Real, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Vila Real
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Vila Real Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$956

/mo nomad

Vila Real

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,234

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Vila Real

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Erbil vs $1,234 in Vila Real, rent included.

Erbil $956
Vila Real $1,234

A couple spends around $1,421 per month in Erbil vs $1,800 in Vila Real, rent included.

Erbil $1,421
Vila Real $1,800

A family of three spends $1,887 per month in Erbil vs $2,367 in Vila Real, rent included.

Erbil $1,887
Vila Real $2,367

Erbil is about 23% cheaper than Vila Real, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Erbil and Vila Real are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 29% lower, Vila Real 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 IQD 9,753

$9.01 €8.01

-28.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.44 IQD 55.1K

$28.10 €24.99

29.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 IQD 10.7K

$7.63 €6.78

-7.08%

Cappuccino

$3.23 IQD 4,873

$1.13 €1.01

185.84%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,338

$1.62 €1.44

-45.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 503

$1.13 €1.01

-70.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 IQD 7,819

$3.41 €3.04

51.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 IQD 5,825

$1.52 €1.35

153.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 IQD 1,600

$0.99 €0.88

7.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,101

$1.37 €1.22

-46.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,300

$1.17 €1.04

29.91%

Eggs

$1.57 IQD 2,373

$2.71 €2.41

-42.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 IQD 10.4K

$9.81 €8.72

-29.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.27 IQD 6,458

$7.36 €6.55

-41.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 IQD 18.9K

$15.01 €13.35

-16.66%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,501

$1.75 €1.56

-43.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,495

$1.36 €1.21

-27.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,555

$1.60 €1.42

-35.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 988

$2.60 €2.32

-75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 964

$1.46 €1.29

-56.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 925

$1.73 €1.54

-64.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 909

$1.22 €1.09

-50.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 709

$0.42 €0.37

11.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 IQD 3,250

$5.96 €5.31

-63.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 IQD 16.3K

$4.58 €4.08

136.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 IQD 2,222

$1.10 €0.98

33.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,825

$1.67 €1.49

11.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 IQD 718

$1.31 €1.16

-63.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.85 IQD 58.7K

$24.18 €21.51

60.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 IQD 2,531

$4.38 €3.89

-61.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,421

$1.69 €1.51

-5.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 IQD 8,566

$16.30 €14.50

-65.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 825

$2.18 €1.94

-74.77%

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

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

$31.3K €27.8K

-47.73%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$37.5K €33.4K

-54.76%

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

$113 IQD 170.3K

$109 €96.6

3.82%

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

$12.21 IQD 18.4K

$17.05 €15.17

-28.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.30 IQD 36.7K

$46.92 €41.74

-48.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 IQD 85.5K

$32.05 €28.51

76.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.33 IQD 20.1K

$10.07 €8.95

32.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 IQD 15.1K

$8.84 €7.87

13.12%

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

$315 IQD 476.0K

$336 €298

-6.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,809 IQD 4.2M

$10.0K €8,907

-71.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.70 IQD 40.3K

$64.8 €57.7

-58.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 IQD 59.8K

$30.97 €27.55

27.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

$83.5 €74.3

-28.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

$79.5 €70.7

-25.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 IQD 639.7K

$786 €699

-46.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 IQD 415.2K

$491 €437

-44.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 IQD 1.1M

$1,023 €910

-31.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 IQD 613.1K

$772 €687

-47.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

$1,741 €1,549

-39.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$608 IQD 919.3K

$1,331 €1,184

-54.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$525 IQD 793.9K

$1,105 €983

-52.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

3.55

-28.73%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vila Real: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$275 28.7%

Vila Real

$491 39.8% 78.8% $216

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$172 18%

Vila Real

$223 18% 29.4% $51

Eating Out

Erbil

$150 15.7%

Vila Real

$140 11.3% 6.9% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$149 15.6%

Vila Real

$173 14% 15.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$83 8.7%

Vila Real

$116 9.4% 39.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$77 8%

Vila Real

$50 4% 35.1% $27

Getting Around

Erbil

$50 5.3%

Vila Real

$42 3.4% 16.2% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $423 in Erbil versus $786 in Vila Real. 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 110% higher in Vila Real, 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 $28.00 in Vila Real. Groceries tell a different story – $172 in Erbil vs $223 in Vila Real – so Erbil wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇵🇹 Vila Real

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

17:40 5:40 PM

2 h behind Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

49,574

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Erbil Vila Real 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Vila Real

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 Vila Real: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vila Real is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,435 per month in Erbil and $1,851 in Vila Real. 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 29% more in Vila Real, 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 $28.00 in Vila Real. 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 Vila Real at $1,234. In Erbil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vila Real 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, Vila Real makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.