Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kirkuk and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Kirkuk: $545 a month against $664 in Basra, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Kirkuk
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Kirkuk Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
Learn more

Basra Living Index

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Kirkuk

🇮🇶 Iraq

$545

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kirkuk and in Basra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $545 in Kirkuk versus $664 in Basra.

Kirkuk $545
Basra $664

Estimated couple costs with rent: $871 in Kirkuk versus $1,194 in Basra.

Kirkuk $871
Basra $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,197 in Kirkuk versus $1,725 in Basra.

Kirkuk $1,197
Basra $1,725

Living in Kirkuk costs roughly 18% less than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kirkuk 60% lower, Basra 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 IQD 5,360

$3.88 IQD 5,859

-8.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.20 IQD 35.1K

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

-13.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 IQD 7,928

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

-21.64%

Cappuccino

$2.35 IQD 3,558

$2.29 IQD 3,462

2.62%

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

$0.38 IQD 576

$0.38 IQD 568

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 IQD 283

$0.30 IQD 458

-36.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 IQD 4,102

$3.28 IQD 4,951

-17.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 IQD 5,010

$3.67 IQD 5,541

-9.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,471

$0.99 IQD 1,502

-2.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 IQD 858

$0.61 IQD 920

-6.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 IQD 2,068

$1.21 IQD 1,833

13.22%

Eggs

$1.27 IQD 1,913

$1.60 IQD 2,417

-20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.37 IQD 5,090

$6.32 IQD 9,552

-46.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 IQD 4,871

$5.40 IQD 8,161

-40.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

-7.51%

Apples (1kg)

$0.74 IQD 1,121

$0.84 IQD 1,265

-11.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 IQD 1,196

$1.18 IQD 1,784

-33.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 IQD 1,294

$0.85 IQD 1,285

1.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 964

$0.55 IQD 834

16.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.64 IQD 960

-23.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 IQD 722

$0.54 IQD 813

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 IQD 844

$0.80 IQD 1,211

-30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 IQD 523

$0.34 IQD 512

2.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.67 IQD 2,521

$1.80 IQD 2,725

-7.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.67 IQD 17.6K

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

4.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 IQD 1,937

$1.58 IQD 2,383

-18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 IQD 2,472

$1.82 IQD 2,755

-9.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 IQD 522

$0.52 IQD 789

-32.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.84 IQD 30.0K

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

20.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 IQD 2,914

$1.93 IQD 2,923

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 IQD 1,940

$1.95 IQD 2,948

-34.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.62 IQD 10.0K

$6.34 IQD 9,576

4.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 IQD 726

$0.56 IQD 841

-14.29%

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

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

41.92%

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

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

-16.56%

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

$51.8 IQD 78.3K

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

18.03%

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

$19.86 IQD 30.0K

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

-10.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.46 IQD 58.1K

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

14.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.62 IQD 14.5K

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

-69.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 IQD 14.8K

$6.56 IQD 9,906

49.85%

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

$147 IQD 222.9K

$109 IQD 165.2K

34.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,309 IQD 5.0M

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

2.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.85 IQD 39.1K

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

-40.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.19 IQD 24.5K

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

-6.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.8 IQD 88.8K

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

-14.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.49 IQD 44.6K

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

-17.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$167 IQD 252.8K

$405 IQD 611.7K

-58.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$80.1 IQD 121.1K

$138 IQD 208.3K

-41.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$195 IQD 294.5K

$369 IQD 558.1K

-47.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 IQD 298.5K

$548 IQD 828.2K

-63.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$501 IQD 757.5K

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

-64.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$262 IQD 395.8K

$707 IQD 1.1M

-62.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$387 IQD 584.6K

$667 IQD 1.0M

-41.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

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

Last update for Kirkuk: October 25, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kirkuk

$143 26.2%

Basra

$171 25.8% 20% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kirkuk

$110 20.2%

Basra

$100 15% 9.4% $10

Eating Out

Kirkuk

$95 17.4%

Basra

$105 15.8% 10.8% $10

Accommodation & Living

Kirkuk

$80 14.7%

Basra

$138 20.8% 72% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Kirkuk

$59 10.8%

Basra

$74 11.2% 27% $16

Getting Around

Kirkuk

$30 5.4%

Basra

$30 4.6% 2.1% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Kirkuk

$29 5.4%

Basra

$45 6.8% 53.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $167 in Kirkuk and $405 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basra pays 72% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Kirkuk vs $27 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $143 vs $171 per month, with Kirkuk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Kirkuk

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

Same time as Kirkuk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

850,787

2,150,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kirkuk Basra 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kirkuk
Basra

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

Kirkuk vs Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $545 in Kirkuk and $664 in Basra, so Kirkuk is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Kirkuk. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $167 in Kirkuk versus $405 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Basra. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kirkuk – a meal for two runs $23 versus $27 in Basra. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Kirkuk gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

It comes down to priorities – Kirkuk wins on affordability, Basra on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.