Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iraq and Turkey

Name: Turkey
Address: TR

For one person, living is cheaper in Iraq: $720 a month against $1,212 in Turkey, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Turkey
Learn more

Turkey Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇶 Iraq

$720

/mo nomad

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iraq and in Turkey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $720 in Iraq versus $1,212 in Turkey.

Iraq $720
Turkey $1,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,090 in Iraq versus $1,844 in Turkey.

Iraq $1,090
Turkey $1,844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,460 in Iraq versus $2,475 in Turkey.

Iraq $1,460
Turkey $2,475

Internal cost variation is higher in Turkey: monthly costs span $656 to $1,765, compared to $500–$1,048 in Iraq. City choice carries more weight in Turkey.

Living in Iraq costs about 41% less than in Turkey on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Iraq 47% lower, Turkey 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 IQD 5,843

$9.14 ₺455

-57.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.69 IQD 29.7K

$40.12 ₺1,999

-50.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.54 IQD 9,879

$8.91 ₺444

-26.60%

Cappuccino

$2.43 IQD 3,673

$3.75 ₺187

-35.20%

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

$0.41 IQD 614

$1.47 ₺73.3

-72.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 IQD 262

$0.56 ₺27.66

-69.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 IQD 5,119

$3.84 ₺192

-11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 IQD 4,923

$4.91 ₺245

-33.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 IQD 1,520

$1.02 ₺51.1

-0.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 IQD 1,048

$1.00 ₺49.93

-31.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 IQD 2,083

$2.20 ₺110

-37.27%

Eggs

$1.56 IQD 2,357

$2.21 ₺110

-29.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.06 IQD 6,133

$9.72 ₺484

-58.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.70 IQD 5,593

$4.86 ₺242

-23.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 IQD 17.0K

$20.09 ₺1,001

-43.95%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 IQD 1,396

$1.86 ₺92.5

-50.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 IQD 1,507

$1.98 ₺98.9

-49.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 IQD 1,343

$1.06 ₺53.1

-16.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 913

$1.36 ₺67.9

-55.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 879

$0.54 ₺26.86

7.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 862

$0.45 ₺22.31

26.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 IQD 801

$1.00 ₺49.61

-47.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 IQD 670

$0.69 ₺34.23

-36.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.69 IQD 2,555

$2.26 ₺113

-25.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.22 IQD 15.4K

$11.91 ₺593

-14.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 IQD 2,498

$2.24 ₺112

-26.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,755

$2.85 ₺142

-36.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 514

$0.76 ₺38.01

-55.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.96 IQD 30.1K

$39.49 ₺1,968

-49.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 IQD 3,067

$1.42 ₺70.9

42.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 IQD 2,219

$0.84 ₺41.65

75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.20 IQD 7,858

$7.98 ₺398

-34.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 852

$1.38 ₺68.8

-59.42%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$41.6K ₺2.1M

-59.80%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-58.75%

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

$96.4 IQD 145.6K

$75.0 ₺3,736

28.62%

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

$13.50 IQD 20.4K

$10.38 ₺517

30.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.17 IQD 44.0K

$15.56 ₺775

87.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.82 IQD 46.5K

$55.2 ₺2,752

-44.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

$21.01 ₺1,047

-21.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.94 IQD 10.5K

$6.87 ₺342

1.02%

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

$158 IQD 238.0K

$680 ₺33.9K

-76.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,605 IQD 3.9M

$15.9K ₺792.4K

-83.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.03 IQD 28.7K

$54.7 ₺2,724

-65.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.52 IQD 35.5K

$42.98 ₺2,142

-45.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.2 IQD 78.8K

$102 ₺5,074

-48.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.65 IQD 58.4K

$93.9 ₺4,677

-58.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 IQD 411.7K

$614 ₺30.6K

-55.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.3K

$441 ₺22.0K

-57.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 IQD 767.8K

$1,011 ₺50.4K

-49.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 IQD 540.2K

$703 ₺35.0K

-49.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,491 IQD 2.3M

$1,710 ₺85.2K

-12.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$685 IQD 1.0M

$1,115 ₺55.6K

-38.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 IQD 743.4K

$1,061 ₺52.9K

-53.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

41.67

-84.83%

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

Last update for Iraq: October 24, 2026

Last update for Turkey: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iraq

$187 26%

Turkey

$441 36.4% 136% $254

Groceries & Markets

Iraq

$153 21.3%

Turkey

$239 19.8% 56.3% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iraq

$139 19.3%

Turkey

$101 8.3% 27.4% $38

Eating Out

Iraq

$106 14.7%

Turkey

$182 15% 72.4% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Iraq

$60 8.3%

Turkey

$132 10.9% 120% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Iraq

$45 6.2%

Turkey

$69 5.7% 54.3% $24

Getting Around

Iraq

$31 4.3%

Turkey

$48 4% 56.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $225 in Iraq, $446 in Turkey. Capital cities: $537 in Baghdad vs $765 in Ankara.

National salary averages: $491 in Iraq, $1,034 in Turkey. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 98% higher in Turkey.

Dining out costs 55% more in Turkey.

Salaries are about 2.1 times higher in Turkey, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Turkey.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Iraq

🇹🇷 Turkey

🕒 Local time

17:25 5:25 PM

Same time as Iraq

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,274,618

85,372,377

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.61 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Iraq Turkey 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Iraq
Turkey

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 Turkey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $720 per month in Iraq and $1,212 in Turkey, Iraq comes out about 41% 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 Iraq: 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 $446 in Turkey and $225 in Iraq. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Iraq, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Turkey 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: Iraq wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.