Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iraq and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $720 in Iraq, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Iraq
Learn more

Iraq Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇶 Iraq

$720

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iraq and in India

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $720 in Iraq versus $399 in India.

Iraq $720
India $399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,090 in Iraq versus $639 in India.

Iraq $1,090
India $639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,460 in Iraq versus $879 in India.

Iraq $1,460
India $879

Iraq ($500–$1,048) and India ($230–$813) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Iraq is roughly 80% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Iraq 47% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 IQD 5,843

$2.14 ₹204

80.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.69 IQD 29.7K

$10.46 ₹996

88.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.54 IQD 9,879

$3.80 ₹362

72.11%

Cappuccino

$2.43 IQD 3,673

$1.68 ₹160

44.64%

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

$0.41 IQD 614

$0.38 ₹36.03

7.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 IQD 262

$0.15 ₹14.62

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 IQD 5,119

$1.87 ₹178

81.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 IQD 4,923

$3.18 ₹303

2.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 IQD 1,520

$0.62 ₹59.3

62.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 IQD 1,048

$0.50 ₹47.82

38.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 IQD 2,083

$0.63 ₹60.4

119.05%

Eggs

$1.56 IQD 2,357

$0.96 ₹91.4

62.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.06 IQD 6,133

$4.85 ₹462

-16.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.70 IQD 5,593

$2.84 ₹271

30.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 IQD 17.0K

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 IQD 1,396

$2.00 ₹191

-54.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 IQD 1,507

$0.65 ₹61.5

53.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 IQD 1,343

$0.97 ₹92.4

-8.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 913

$0.47 ₹44.35

27.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 879

$0.34 ₹31.91

70.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 862

$0.42 ₹39.77

35.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 IQD 801

$0.47 ₹44.44

12.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 IQD 670

$0.31 ₹29.71

41.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.69 IQD 2,555

$5.08 ₹483

-66.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.22 IQD 15.4K

$7.31 ₹696

39.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 IQD 2,498

$1.63 ₹155

1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,755

$2.76 ₹263

-34.06%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹487

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 514

$0.26 ₹24.88

30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.96 IQD 30.1K

$8.58 ₹817

132.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 IQD 3,067

$1.00 ₹94.8

103.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 IQD 2,219

$0.27 ₹25.77

444.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.20 IQD 7,858

$1.54 ₹146

237.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 852

$1.07 ₹102

-47.66%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$11.2K ₹1.1M

49.25%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

$20.1K ₹1.9M

-17.00%

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

$96.4 IQD 145.6K

$37.08 ₹3,531

160.01%

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

$13.50 IQD 20.4K

$3.58 ₹341

277.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.17 IQD 44.0K

$7.15 ₹681

307.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.82 IQD 46.5K

$15.00 ₹1,428

105.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

$7.17 ₹683

128.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.94 IQD 10.5K

$3.20 ₹304

116.88%

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

$158 IQD 238.0K

$58.8 ₹5,599

168.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,605 IQD 3.9M

$1,667 ₹158.7K

56.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.03 IQD 28.7K

$23.03 ₹2,193

-17.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.52 IQD 35.5K

$24.17 ₹2,301

-2.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.2 IQD 78.8K

$41.20 ₹3,923

26.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.65 IQD 58.4K

$29.62 ₹2,820

30.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 IQD 411.7K

$146 ₹13.9K

86.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.3K

$96.4 ₹9,175

93.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 IQD 767.8K

$343 ₹32.6K

48.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 IQD 540.2K

$234 ₹22.3K

52.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,491 IQD 2.3M

$1,177 ₹112.1K

26.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$685 IQD 1.0M

$633 ₹60.3K

8.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 IQD 743.4K

$409 ₹38.9K

20.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

8.93

-29.23%

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

Last update for Iraq: October 24, 2026

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iraq

$187 26%

India

$96 24.1% 48.5% $91

Groceries & Markets

Iraq

$153 21.3%

India

$102 25.6% 33.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iraq

$139 19.3%

India

$48 12% 65.6% $91

Eating Out

Iraq

$106 14.7%

India

$67 16.7% 37% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Iraq

$60 8.3%

India

$53 13.3% 11.5% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Iraq

$45 6.2%

India

$21 5.4% 52.1% $23

Getting Around

Iraq

$31 4.3%

India

$12 3% 61% $19

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $225 in Iraq, $120 in India. Capital cities: $537 in Baghdad vs $277 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $491 in Iraq, $412 in India. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 88% higher in Iraq.

Dining out costs 100% more in Iraq.

Public transport is 263% more expensive in Iraq.

Salaries are 19% higher in Iraq, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Iraq

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

13:53 1:53 PM

16:23 4:23 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Iraq

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,274,618

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.21 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Iraq India 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Iraq
India

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $720 in Iraq, India comes out about 45% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $225 in Iraq and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In India, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Iraq it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.