Cost of Living Comparison Between Karbala and Basra Cost of Living Comparison Between Karbala and Basra

🙂 Solo nomad: Karbala is 17.7% cheaper than Basra without rent, and 10.2% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Karbala is 14% cheaper than Basra without rent, and 33.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.06 IQD 6,634

$3.91 IQD 5,128

29.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.45 IQD 20.3K

$25.14 IQD 33.0K

-38.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 IQD 7,131

$7.09 IQD 9,293

-23.27%

Cappuccino

$1.59 IQD 2,081

$2.09 IQD 2,736

-23.92%

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

$0.39 IQD 515

$0.47 IQD 617

-17.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 IQD 364

$0.34 IQD 450

-17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 IQD 2,568

$3.85 IQD 5,046

-49.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 IQD 3,688

$2.61 IQD 3,425

7.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 IQD 1,541

$1.17 IQD 1,528

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 IQD 973

$0.70 IQD 923

5.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 IQD 1,972

$1.45 IQD 1,902

3.45%

Eggs

$1.74 IQD 2,285

$1.89 IQD 2,477

-7.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.22 IQD 6,847

$8.13 IQD 10.7K

-35.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.66 IQD 6,110

$7.18 IQD 9,410

-35.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.88 IQD 13.0K

$12.95 IQD 17.0K

-23.71%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 IQD 1,205

$1.02 IQD 1,334

-9.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 IQD 1,364

$1.41 IQD 1,842

-26.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,250

$1.05 IQD 1,372

-9.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 IQD 941

$0.62 IQD 819

16.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 905

$0.68 IQD 896

1.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 716

$0.60 IQD 789

-8.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 784

$0.84 IQD 1,106

-28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 IQD 776

$0.41 IQD 542

43.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.94 IQD 2,549

$1.87 IQD 2,452

3.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.61 IQD 15.2K

$13.02 IQD 17.1K

-10.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 IQD 1,404

$2.99 IQD 3,921

-64.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 IQD 2,741

$3.78 IQD 4,959

-44.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 IQD 480

$0.40 IQD 522

-7.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.68 IQD 41.5K

$23.38 IQD 30.7K

35.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 IQD 2,979

$2.32 IQD 3,043

-2.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 IQD 2,035

$2.24 IQD 2,938

-30.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.82 IQD 10.2K

$6.81 IQD 8,929

14.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 IQD 635

$0.59 IQD 774

-18.64%

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

$11.5K IQD 15.1M

$13.2K IQD 17.3M

-12.76%

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

$14.5K IQD 19.0M

$23.4K IQD 30.7M

-37.91%

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

$71.5 IQD 93.7K

$57.8 IQD 75.8K

23.71%

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

$24.91 IQD 32.7K

$25.16 IQD 33.0K

-0.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.60 IQD 65.0K

$37.76 IQD 49.5K

31.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.92 IQD 30.1K

$36.72 IQD 48.2K

-37.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.88 IQD 22.1K

$15.02 IQD 19.7K

12.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.92 IQD 11.7K

$7.74 IQD 10.1K

15.25%

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

$124 IQD 163.2K

$98.9 IQD 129.7K

25.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$798 IQD 1.0M

$3,825 IQD 5.0M

-79.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.01 IQD 22.3K

$42.01 IQD 55.1K

-59.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.92 IQD 18.2K

$20.28 IQD 26.6K

-31.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.65 IQD 40.2K

$72.1 IQD 94.5K

-57.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.35 IQD 42.4K

$41.83 IQD 54.9K

-22.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$255 IQD 334.5K

$451 IQD 591.8K

-43.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 IQD 193.6K

$134 IQD 175.3K

10.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$350 IQD 458.7K

$919 IQD 1.2M

-61.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 IQD 324.8K

$655 IQD 859.4K

-62.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$990 IQD 1.3M

$1,597 IQD 2.1M

-38.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$328 IQD 430.7K

$804 IQD 1.1M

-59.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$483 IQD 633.8K

$777 IQD 1.0M

-37.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.67

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

Last update for Karbala: January 11, 2026

Last update for Basra: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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