Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Halabjah and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Halabjah: $634 a month against $1,048 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Halabjah
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Halabjah Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index

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Halabjah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$634

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Halabjah and in Baghdad

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Halabjah and in Baghdad actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $634 in Halabjah versus $1,048 in Baghdad.

Halabjah $634
Baghdad $1,048

Estimated couple costs with rent: $962 in Halabjah versus $1,508 in Baghdad.

Halabjah $962
Baghdad $1,508

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,291 in Halabjah versus $1,968 in Baghdad.

Halabjah $1,291
Baghdad $1,968

Living in Halabjah costs roughly 40% less than in Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Halabjah 53% lower, Baghdad 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.24 IQD 4,892

$4.54 IQD 6,862

-28.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.71 IQD 25.2K

$26.64 IQD 40.2K

-37.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 IQD 10.2K

$6.47 IQD 9,774

4.64%

Cappuccino

$1.68 IQD 2,541

$2.68 IQD 4,051

-37.31%

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

$0.35 IQD 535

$0.39 IQD 583

-10.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$0.20 IQD 301

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 IQD 3,443

$3.31 IQD 5,005

-31.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 IQD 4,935

$3.22 IQD 4,863

1.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.51 IQD 769

$0.92 IQD 1,389

-44.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 IQD 1,046

$0.71 IQD 1,077

-2.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 IQD 1,972

$1.32 IQD 1,998

-0.76%

Eggs

$1.34 IQD 2,026

$1.71 IQD 2,575

-21.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.29 IQD 4,974

$3.30 IQD 4,986

-0.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.69 IQD 2,547

$4.15 IQD 6,265

-59.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.54 IQD 12.9K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

-30.23%

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,031

$1.00 IQD 1,512

-32.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,449

$0.98 IQD 1,486

-2.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,039

$0.95 IQD 1,439

-27.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,035

$0.68 IQD 1,020

1.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 834

$0.58 IQD 877

-5.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 895

$0.57 IQD 854

3.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 IQD 831

$0.60 IQD 902

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 IQD 866

$0.61 IQD 926

-6.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 IQD 2,454

$1.67 IQD 2,529

-2.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 IQD 2,508

$1.99 IQD 3,003

-16.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 IQD 1,270

$1.96 IQD 2,960

-57.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 482

$0.32 IQD 480

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.04 IQD 30.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 IQD 2,040

$2.02 IQD 3,043

-33.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 IQD 1,967

$1.30 IQD 1,963

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 IQD 3,049

$6.67 IQD 10.1K

-69.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 880

$0.58 IQD 869

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

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

-1.79%

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

$8,168 IQD 12.3M

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

-51.09%

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

$132 IQD 199.0K

$188 IQD 284.4K

-30.00%

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

$9.67 IQD 14.6K

$19.25 IQD 29.1K

-49.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.32 IQD 38.2K

$37.51 IQD 56.6K

-32.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.13 IQD 56.1K

$39.97 IQD 60.4K

-7.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 IQD 27.8K

Cinema Ticket

$10.17 IQD 15.3K

$9.70 IQD 14.7K

4.85%

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

$144 IQD 217.2K

$145 IQD 219.5K

-1.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,251 IQD 4.9M

$3,297 IQD 5.0M

-1.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$6.72 IQD 10.1K

$25.60 IQD 38.6K

-73.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.06 IQD 51.4K

$33.32 IQD 50.3K

2.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.6 IQD 90.0K

$60.2 IQD 90.9K

-0.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.04 IQD 62.0K

$41.85 IQD 63.2K

-1.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$186 IQD 281.6K

$537 IQD 811.1K

-65.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 IQD 185.4K

$364 IQD 550.2K

-66.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$363 IQD 547.7K

$963 IQD 1.5M

-62.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 IQD 469.7K

$624 IQD 942.5K

-50.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$840 IQD 1.3M

$4,276 IQD 6.5M

-80.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$446 IQD 674.1K

$1,379 IQD 2.1M

-67.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$518 IQD 782.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

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

Last update for Halabjah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Baghdad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Halabjah

$167 26.3%

Baghdad

$245 23.4% 46.9% $78

Groceries & Markets

Halabjah

$127 20.1%

Baghdad

$164 15.6% 28.8% $37

Accommodation & Living

Halabjah

$123 19.4%

Baghdad

$364 34.8% 197% $242

Eating Out

Halabjah

$87 13.7%

Baghdad

$113 10.8% 30.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Halabjah

$64 10%

Baghdad

$72 6.9% 13.8% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Halabjah

$57 9.1%

Baghdad

$59 5.7% 3.3% $1.9

Getting Around

Halabjah

$9.1 * 1.4%

Baghdad

$30 2.9% 226% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $186 in Halabjah and $537 in Baghdad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $17 in Halabjah vs $27 in Baghdad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $127 vs $164 per month, with Halabjah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Halabjah

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

Same time as Halabjah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,216,040 Capital

💱 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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Halabjah Baghdad 250 km

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Halabjah
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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

Halabjah vs Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Halabjah wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Baghdad. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Halabjah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $950 in Halabjah and $1,572 in Baghdad to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $186 in Halabjah versus $537 in Baghdad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Baghdad. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $634 per month in Halabjah versus $1,048 in Baghdad – Halabjah is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Halabjah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.