Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Halabjah and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Halabjah: $634 a month against $663 in Sulaymaniyah, rent and utilities included – about $350 less a year. The total is higher in Sulaymaniyah despite lower rent and utilities.

31

Cost of Living Index in Halabjah
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Halabjah Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Halabjah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$634

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Halabjah 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 Halabjah and in Sulaymaniyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $634 in Halabjah versus $663 in Sulaymaniyah.

Halabjah $634
Sulaymaniyah $663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $962 in Halabjah versus $1,034 in Sulaymaniyah.

Halabjah $962
Sulaymaniyah $1,034

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,291 in Halabjah versus $1,406 in Sulaymaniyah.

Halabjah $1,291
Sulaymaniyah $1,406

Living in Halabjah costs roughly 4% less than in Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Halabjah 53% lower, Sulaymaniyah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.24 IQD 4,895

$4.21 IQD 6,363

-23.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.71 IQD 25.2K

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

-15.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 IQD 10.2K

$5.90 IQD 8,916

14.75%

Cappuccino

$1.68 IQD 2,542

$2.45 IQD 3,702

-31.43%

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

$0.35 IQD 536

$0.43 IQD 650

-18.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$0.20 IQD 302

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 IQD 3,445

$3.22 IQD 4,873

-29.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 IQD 4,939

$2.04 IQD 3,080

60.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.51 IQD 770

$1.11 IQD 1,677

-54.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 IQD 1,046

$0.89 IQD 1,339

-22.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 IQD 1,973

$1.66 IQD 2,516

-21.08%

Eggs

$1.34 IQD 2,027

$1.55 IQD 2,345

-13.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.29 IQD 4,978

$4.31 IQD 6,509

-23.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.69 IQD 2,548

$3.66 IQD 5,536

-53.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.54 IQD 12.9K

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

-35.64%

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,032

$1.11 IQD 1,680

-38.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,450

$1.09 IQD 1,646

-11.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,040

$1.04 IQD 1,579

-33.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,036

$0.56 IQD 843

23.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 834

$0.49 IQD 740

12.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 896

$0.63 IQD 957

-6.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 IQD 831

$0.58 IQD 883

-5.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.45 IQD 685

26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 IQD 2,456

$2.02 IQD 3,049

-19.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

19.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 IQD 2,509

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 IQD 1,271

$1.25 IQD 1,896

-32.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 482

$0.52 IQD 786

-38.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 IQD 2,041

$1.92 IQD 2,904

-29.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 IQD 1,969

$1.96 IQD 2,961

-33.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 IQD 3,052

$4.48 IQD 6,774

-54.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 881

$0.57 IQD 865

1.75%

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

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

-7.61%

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

$8,168 IQD 12.3M

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

-51.83%

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

$132 IQD 199.2K

$85.2 IQD 128.7K

54.77%

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

$9.67 IQD 14.6K

$10.12 IQD 15.3K

-4.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.32 IQD 38.3K

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

5.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.13 IQD 56.1K

$33.78 IQD 51.0K

9.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 IQD 27.1K

Cinema Ticket

$10.17 IQD 15.4K

$6.56 IQD 9,916

55.03%

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

$144 IQD 217.4K

$153 IQD 231.1K

-5.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,251 IQD 4.9M

$2,546 IQD 3.8M

27.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$6.72 IQD 10.2K

$16.75 IQD 25.3K

-59.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.06 IQD 51.5K

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

52.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.6 IQD 90.1K

$36.83 IQD 55.7K

61.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.04 IQD 62.0K

$33.01 IQD 49.9K

24.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$186 IQD 281.7K

$187 IQD 282.6K

-0.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 IQD 185.5K

$147 IQD 221.9K

-16.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$363 IQD 548.0K

$419 IQD 632.8K

-13.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 IQD 470.0K

$314 IQD 474.4K

-0.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$840 IQD 1.3M

$695 IQD 1.1M

20.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$446 IQD 674.5K

$548 IQD 828.2K

-18.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 IQD 757.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

5.77

-28.60%

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

Last update for Halabjah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Halabjah

$167 26.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$119 18% 28.5% $47

Groceries & Markets

Halabjah

$127 20.1%

Sulaymaniyah

$164 24.7% 28.9% $37

Accommodation & Living

Halabjah

$123 19.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$147 22.2% 19.6% $24

Eating Out

Halabjah

$87 13.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6% 19.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Halabjah

$64 10%

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4% 23% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Halabjah

$57 9.1%

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1% 18.4% $11

Getting Around

Halabjah

$9.1 * 1.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5.1% 267% $24

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 $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $17 in Halabjah vs $20 in Sulaymaniyah 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

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

00:42 12:42 AM

Same time as Halabjah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

💱 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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Between locations

Halabjah Sulaymaniyah 58 km

From you

Halabjah
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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

Halabjah vs Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $634 in Halabjah and $663 in Sulaymaniyah, so Halabjah is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $950 in Halabjah and $994 in Sulaymaniyah 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 $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $144 in Halabjah versus $153 in Sulaymaniyah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Halabjah – a meal for two runs $17 versus $20 in Sulaymaniyah. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.