Cost of Living Comparison Between Karbala and Sulaymaniyah Cost of Living Comparison Between Karbala and Sulaymaniyah

🙂 Solo nomad: Karbala is 5% cheaper than Sulaymaniyah without rent, and 13.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Karbala is 8.3% cheaper than Sulaymaniyah without rent, and 20.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karbala
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.89 IQD 6,407
$5.31 IQD 6,950
-7.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.02 IQD 19.7K
$27.22 IQD 35.7K
-44.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.48 IQD 7,177
$7.03 IQD 9,206
-22.05%
Cappuccino
$1.66 IQD 2,169
$2.66 IQD 3,491
-37.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 IQD 482
$0.36 IQD 475
2.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 IQD 365
$0.18 IQD 230
55.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.90 IQD 2,486
$2.16 IQD 2,828
-12.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.93 IQD 3,838
$2.72 IQD 3,557
7.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karbala
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 IQD 1,549
$1.42 IQD 1,859
-16.90%
White Bread (500g)
$0.68 IQD 897
$1.03 IQD 1,347
-33.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.43 IQD 1,869
$1.57 IQD 2,062
-8.92%
Eggs
$1.72 IQD 2,259
$1.72 IQD 2,256
-
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.23 IQD 6,844
$5.89 IQD 7,712
-11.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.64 IQD 6,078
$3.52 IQD 4,608
31.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.52 IQD 12.5K
$14.28 IQD 18.7K
-33.33%
Apples (1kg)
$0.92 IQD 1,204
$1.22 IQD 1,593
-24.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.08 IQD 1,411
$1.31 IQD 1,713
-17.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.91 IQD 1,197
$1.31 IQD 1,721
-30.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.67 IQD 883
$0.75 IQD 985
-10.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.64 IQD 837
$0.65 IQD 856
-1.54%
Onion (1kg)
$0.51 IQD 666
$0.68 IQD 893
-25.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.55 IQD 723
$0.59 IQD 768
-6.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 IQD 817
$0.49 IQD 640
26.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.86 IQD 2,441
$1.94 IQD 2,546
-4.12%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$11.51 IQD 15.1K
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 IQD 1,382
$1.51 IQD 1,977
-29.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 IQD 2,818
$1.74 IQD 2,284
23.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Karbala
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 IQD 478
$0.54 IQD 712
-33.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.74 IQD 40.3K
$23.42 IQD 30.7K
31.26%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.27 IQD 2,970
$2.29 IQD 2,999
-0.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 IQD 1,949
$2.25 IQD 2,953
-33.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.60 IQD 9,956
$5.51 IQD 7,224
37.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.49 IQD 638
$0.71 IQD 933
-30.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.3K IQD 14.9M
$20.7K IQD 27.1M
-45.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$14.3K IQD 18.7M
$21.1K IQD 27.7M
-32.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karbala
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.0 IQD 93.0K
$76.2 IQD 99.8K
-6.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.77 IQD 32.4K
$16.71 IQD 21.9K
48.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.02 IQD 64.2K
$26.61 IQD 34.9K
84.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karbala
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.23 IQD 30.4K
$39.94 IQD 52.3K
-41.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.89 IQD 22.1K
$16.92 IQD 22.2K
-0.18%
Cinema Ticket
$8.78 IQD 11.5K
$7.73 IQD 10.1K
13.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karbala
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$127 IQD 166.9K
$153 IQD 200.9K
-16.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$769 IQD 1.0M
$3,442 IQD 4.5M
-77.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karbala
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.07 IQD 22.4K
$24.10 IQD 31.6K
-29.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$14.05 IQD 18.4K
$24.81 IQD 32.5K
-43.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$30.35 IQD 39.8K
$44.23 IQD 57.9K
-31.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$32.45 IQD 42.5K
$36.75 IQD 48.1K
-11.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karbala
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$249 IQD 326.2K
$239 IQD 312.9K
4.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$148 IQD 193.8K
$177 IQD 231.8K
-16.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$343 IQD 449.5K
$582 IQD 762.7K
-41.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$248 IQD 325.1K
$340 IQD 445.8K
-27.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$977 IQD 1.3M
$811 IQD 1.1M
20.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$325 IQD 425.7K
$565 IQD 740.0K
-42.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karbala
Sulaymaniyah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$477 IQD 625.3K
$572 IQD 749.3K
-16.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.67
9
-37.00%

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

Last update for Karbala: March 1, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: March 2, 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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