Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iraq and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Iraq: $720 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Iraq
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Iraq Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇶 Iraq

$720

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iraq and in Australia

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

A single person spends $720 per month in Iraq vs $2,626 in Australia, rent included.

Iraq $720
Australia $2,626

A couple spends around $1,090 per month in Iraq vs $3,810 in Australia, rent included.

Iraq $1,090
Australia $3,810

A family of three spends $1,460 per month in Iraq vs $4,994 in Australia, rent included.

Iraq $1,460
Australia $4,994

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Iraq ($500–$1,048), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Iraq is roughly 73% lower than in Australia on average.

Iraq sits 47% below the global median, while Australia is 93% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 IQD 5,843

$17.65 A$25.00

-78.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.69 IQD 29.7K

$85.2 A$121

-76.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.54 IQD 9,879

$11.09 A$15.71

-41.03%

Cappuccino

$2.43 IQD 3,673

$3.90 A$5.52

-37.69%

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

$0.41 IQD 614

$2.85 A$4.04

-85.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 IQD 262

$2.31 A$3.28

-92.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 IQD 5,119

$7.53 A$10.66

-54.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 IQD 4,923

$8.59 A$12.16

-62.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 IQD 1,520

$1.76 A$2.49

-42.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 IQD 1,048

$2.81 A$3.98

-75.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 IQD 2,083

$2.24 A$3.18

-38.39%

Eggs

$1.56 IQD 2,357

$5.02 A$7.12

-68.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.06 IQD 6,133

$9.87 A$13.98

-58.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.70 IQD 5,593

$9.32 A$13.20

-60.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 IQD 17.0K

$14.86 A$21.05

-24.23%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 IQD 1,396

$3.82 A$5.41

-75.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 IQD 1,507

$2.92 A$4.14

-65.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 IQD 1,343

$3.13 A$4.44

-71.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 913

$4.81 A$6.81

-87.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 879

$2.80 A$3.97

-79.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 862

$2.38 A$3.37

-76.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 IQD 801

$2.37 A$3.36

-77.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 IQD 670

$1.65 A$2.34

-73.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.69 IQD 2,555

$39.13 A$55.4

-95.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.22 IQD 15.4K

$13.93 A$19.73

-26.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 IQD 2,498

$4.96 A$7.02

-66.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,755

$5.17 A$7.33

-64.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 514

$2.42 A$3.43

-85.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.96 IQD 30.1K

$94.6 A$134

-78.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 IQD 3,067

$3.49 A$4.95

-41.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 IQD 2,219

$1.60 A$2.26

-8.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.20 IQD 7,858

$39.84 A$56.4

-86.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 852

$1.39 A$1.97

-59.71%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$30.0K A$42.5K

-44.22%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

$25.8K A$36.5K

-35.38%

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

$96.4 IQD 145.6K

$205 A$290

-52.98%

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

$13.50 IQD 20.4K

$28.33 A$40.14

-52.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.17 IQD 44.0K

$58.8 A$83.3

-50.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.82 IQD 46.5K

$55.7 A$78.8

-44.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

$19.57 A$27.73

-16.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.94 IQD 10.5K

$15.38 A$21.78

-54.88%

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

$158 IQD 238.0K

$2,145 A$3,039

-92.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,605 IQD 3.9M

$18.3K A$26.0K

-85.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.03 IQD 28.7K

$78.3 A$111

-75.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.52 IQD 35.5K

$56.3 A$79.7

-58.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.2 IQD 78.8K

$115 A$163

-54.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.65 IQD 58.4K

$123 A$174

-68.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 IQD 411.7K

$1,591 A$2,254

-82.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.3K

$1,293 A$1,831

-85.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 IQD 767.8K

$2,524 A$3,576

-79.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 IQD 540.2K

$2,005 A$2,841

-82.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,491 IQD 2.3M

$8,751 A$12.4K

-82.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$685 IQD 1.0M

$6,260 A$8,868

-89.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 IQD 743.4K

$3,984 A$5,644

-87.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

5.93

6.58%

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

Last update for Iraq: October 24, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iraq

$187 26%

Australia

$1.3K 49.2% 592% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Iraq

$153 21.3%

Australia

$374 14.3% 144% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iraq

$139 19.3%

Australia

$292 11.1% 110% $153

Eating Out

Iraq

$106 14.7%

Australia

$297 11.3% 181% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Iraq

$60 8.3%

Australia

$168 6.4% 180% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Iraq

$45 6.2%

Australia

$86 3.3% 93.3% $42

Getting Around

Iraq

$31 4.3%

Australia

$116 4.4% 277% $85

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $225 in Iraq vs $1,383 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $537 in Baghdad and $1,749 in Canberra.

Average salary: $491 in Iraq vs $3,874 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 515% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 282% more in Australia.

Public transport is 190% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 7.9 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Iraq

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

23:53 11:53 PM

8 h ahead of Iraq

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,274,618

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,510 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,685 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.633 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Iraq Australia 13,270 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Iraq
Australia

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

Iraq vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iraq is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 73% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $225 in Iraq.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Iraq – part of why living there is about 73% cheaper overall.

Iraq is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.