Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Iraq

Name: Iraq
Address: IQ

For one person, living is cheaper in Iraq: $725 a month against $1,825 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Iraq
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Iraq Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,825

/mo nomad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Iraq

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,825 in Italy versus $725 in Iraq.

Italy $1,825
Iraq $725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,790 in Italy versus $1,095 in Iraq.

Italy $2,790
Iraq $1,095

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,756 in Italy versus $1,464 in Iraq.

Italy $3,756
Iraq $1,464

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,044 to $2,560, compared to $475–$1,050 in Iraq. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 152% more expensive than in Iraq on average.

Italy (35% above) and Iraq (46% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 €17.70

$3.93 IQD 5,942

406.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.6

$19.50 IQD 29.5K

295.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 €10.15

$6.76 IQD 10.2K

68.79%

Cappuccino

$2.01 €1.78

$2.42 IQD 3,659

-16.94%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$0.41 IQD 618

663.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$0.18 IQD 267

677.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.12

$3.35 IQD 5,056

71.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$3.36 IQD 5,082

70.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.05 IQD 1,587

54.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.12

$0.74 IQD 1,114

221.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$1.31 IQD 1,979

122.90%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.70

$1.51 IQD 2,277

176.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.28 €15.37

$4.23 IQD 6,396

308.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.32

$3.64 IQD 5,500

249.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.39 €18.13

$10.95 IQD 16.6K

86.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$0.88 IQD 1,326

196.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.03 IQD 1,557

105.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$0.84 IQD 1,264

213.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$0.56 IQD 849

496.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$0.53 IQD 806

281.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.53 IQD 806

256.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$0.57 IQD 860

173.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.47 IQD 711

17.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 €6.08

$1.66 IQD 2,514

312.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 €6.80

$10.36 IQD 15.7K

-26.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.73 IQD 2,607

4.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.83 IQD 2,762

31.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.32 IQD 480

481.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$21.00 IQD 31.7K

106.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.01

$1.93 IQD 2,912

192.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.48 IQD 2,235

15.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 €29.39

$5.39 IQD 8,145

512.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.87

$0.53 IQD 805

298.11%

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

$35.8K €31.8K

$16.3K IQD 24.6M

119.52%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

124.18%

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

$230 €204

$99.9 IQD 150.9K

129.97%

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

$11.60 €10.32

$13.69 IQD 20.7K

-15.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.40 €27.04

$29.58 IQD 44.7K

2.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 €47.96

$31.11 IQD 47.0K

73.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.24 €21.56

$16.45 IQD 24.9K

47.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.58 €9.41

$7.26 IQD 11.0K

45.73%

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

$545 €485

$155 IQD 233.8K

252.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$2,593 IQD 3.9M

344.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.7

$18.67 IQD 28.2K

373.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.60 €35.22

$23.03 IQD 34.8K

71.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$50.9 IQD 76.9K

98.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$40.06 IQD 60.5K

232.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 €711

$278 IQD 419.5K

187.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 €555

$185 IQD 280.3K

236.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 €1,266

$501 IQD 757.3K

184.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 €916

$355 IQD 536.7K

189.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,601 €3,203

$1,471 IQD 2.2M

144.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,270 €2,019

$685 IQD 1.0M

231.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,893 €1,684

$507 IQD 766.6K

273.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

6.32

-43.67%

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

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Last update for Iraq: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$624 34.2%

Iraq

$185 25.6% 70.3% $439

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$350 19.2%

Iraq

$153 21.1% 56.2% $197

Eating Out

Italy

$276 15.1%

Iraq

$107 14.7% 61.4% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$272 14.9%

Iraq

$143 19.7% 47.3% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Iraq

$60 8.2% 63.4% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$75 4.1%

Iraq

$46 6.3% 39.2% $29

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

Iraq

$32 4.4% 51.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $724 in Italy, $202 in Iraq. Capital cities: $1,191 in Rome vs $540 in Baghdad.

National salary averages: $1,892 in Italy, $489 in Iraq. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 258% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 232% more in Italy.

Public transport is 86% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 287% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇮🇶 Iraq

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

03:52 3:52 AM

1 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

38,274,618

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Iraq 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Italy
Iraq

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

Italy vs Iraq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $725 per month in Iraq and $1,825 in Italy, there's a 152% gap. 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 $724 in Italy and $202 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 Italy 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; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.