Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalar and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalar: $500 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kalar
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Kalar Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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Kalar

🇮🇶 Iraq

$500

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kalar and in Erbil

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

A single person spends $500 per month in Kalar vs $958 in Erbil, rent included.

Kalar $500
Erbil $958

A couple spends around $745 per month in Kalar vs $1,427 in Erbil, rent included.

Kalar $745
Erbil $1,427

A family of three spends $991 per month in Kalar vs $1,896 in Erbil, rent included.

Kalar $991
Erbil $1,896

Kalar is about 48% cheaper than Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kalar and Erbil are more affordable than the global median – Kalar 63% lower, Erbil 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.18 IQD 6,314

$6.42 IQD 9,704

-34.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.53 IQD 15.9K

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

-71.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.07 IQD 4,646

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

-58.57%

Cappuccino

$0.85 IQD 1,283

$3.24 IQD 4,889

-73.77%

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

$0.45 IQD 683

$0.89 IQD 1,341

-49.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 IQD 215

$0.33 IQD 505

-57.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 IQD 8,290

$5.75 IQD 8,681

-4.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 IQD 5,939

$3.92 IQD 5,921

0.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 IQD 1,388

$1.07 IQD 1,611

-14.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 IQD 1,091

$0.67 IQD 1,019

7.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 IQD 1,946

$1.52 IQD 2,303

-15.13%

Eggs

$1.12 IQD 1,698

$1.60 IQD 2,413

-30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.90 IQD 4,376

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

-58.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.00 IQD 3,020

$4.38 IQD 6,614

-54.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 IQD 16.4K

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

-14.21%

Apples (1kg)

$0.81 IQD 1,219

$0.94 IQD 1,415

-13.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 IQD 1,462

$1.01 IQD 1,528

-3.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 IQD 1,286

$1.02 IQD 1,544

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,053

$0.70 IQD 1,064

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 873

$0.65 IQD 982

-10.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 948

$0.63 IQD 952

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 908

$0.64 IQD 968

-6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 IQD 586

$0.52 IQD 781

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.09 IQD 3,165

$2.19 IQD 3,303

-4.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 IQD 16.2K

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

-1.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,213

$1.45 IQD 2,191

0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 IQD 2,815

$1.79 IQD 2,712

3.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.49 IQD 736

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.14 IQD 39.5K

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

-33.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,526

$1.67 IQD 2,519

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 IQD 2,347

$1.60 IQD 2,418

-3.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 IQD 5,039

$5.78 IQD 8,728

-42.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 IQD 815

$0.57 IQD 867

-5.26%

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

$14.6K IQD 22.1M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

-12.91%

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

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

-4.13%

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

$46.19 IQD 69.8K

$111 IQD 168.1K

-58.48%

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

$11.71 IQD 17.7K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

-4.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 IQD 31.6K

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

-15.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.77 IQD 25.3K

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

-70.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.49 IQD 49.1K

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

141.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.74 IQD 10.2K

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

-30.01%

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

$43.60 IQD 65.9K

$294 IQD 443.8K

-85.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,306 IQD 2.0M

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

-52.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.86 IQD 16.4K

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

-59.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.02 IQD 18.2K

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

-68.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$22.98 IQD 34.7K

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

-62.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.22 IQD 42.6K

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

-52.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$151 IQD 228.0K

$426 IQD 643.6K

-64.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$92.5 IQD 139.8K

$271 IQD 410.0K

-65.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 IQD 371.6K

$699 IQD 1.1M

-64.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$126 IQD 189.7K

$404 IQD 610.4K

-68.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$874 IQD 1.3M

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

-14.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$392 IQD 591.7K

$615 IQD 929.8K

-36.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$300 IQD 453.4K

$519 IQD 783.7K

-42.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

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

Last update for Kalar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kalar

$137 27.4%

Erbil

$174 18.1% 27.1% $37

Accommodation & Living

Kalar

$93 18.5%

Erbil

$271 28.3% 193% $179

Eating Out

Kalar

$91 18.1%

Erbil

$154 16.1% 70% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalar

$79 15.8%

Erbil

$148 15.5% 88% $69

Getting Around

Kalar

$38 7.5%

Erbil

$51 5.3% 35.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Kalar

$33 6.7%

Erbil

$84 8.8% 151% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Kalar

$30 6.1%

Erbil

$76 8% 152% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $151 in Kalar versus $426 in Erbil. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 73% higher in Erbil, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Kalar versus $37 in Erbil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $174 – making Kalar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Kalar

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

Same time as Kalar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,000

1,713,461

💱 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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Kalar Erbil 210 km

From you

Kalar
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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

Kalar vs Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Erbil is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $749 per month in Kalar and $1,437 in Erbil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kalar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $151 there versus $426 in Erbil.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Erbil, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Kalar and $37 in Erbil. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Kalar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Kalar. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Erbil makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.