Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kirkuk and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Kirkuk: $547 a month against $667 in Sulaymaniyah, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities 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 Sulaymaniyah
Learn more

Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Kirkuk

🇮🇶 Iraq

$547

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kirkuk and in Sulaymaniyah

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 Sulaymaniyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $547 in Kirkuk versus $667 in Sulaymaniyah.

Kirkuk $547
Sulaymaniyah $667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $873 in Kirkuk versus $1,035 in Sulaymaniyah.

Kirkuk $873
Sulaymaniyah $1,035

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,199 in Kirkuk versus $1,403 in Sulaymaniyah.

Kirkuk $1,199
Sulaymaniyah $1,403

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.62 IQD 5,468

$4.35 IQD 6,570

-16.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.17 IQD 35.0K

$20.15 IQD 30.5K

14.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 IQD 7,855

$5.91 IQD 8,935

-12.01%

Cappuccino

$2.38 IQD 3,602

$2.37 IQD 3,580

0.42%

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

$0.35 IQD 536

$0.43 IQD 644

-18.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 IQD 214

$0.20 IQD 302

-30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 IQD 4,018

$3.24 IQD 4,890

-17.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 IQD 4,839

$2.03 IQD 3,071

57.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,463

$1.15 IQD 1,732

-15.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 IQD 909

$0.86 IQD 1,306

-30.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,997

$1.68 IQD 2,534

-21.43%

Eggs

$1.32 IQD 1,989

$1.53 IQD 2,306

-13.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.43 IQD 5,178

$4.31 IQD 6,514

-20.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 IQD 4,787

$3.72 IQD 5,627

-14.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 IQD 17.2K

$12.96 IQD 19.6K

-12.27%

Apples (1kg)

$0.74 IQD 1,121

$1.11 IQD 1,684

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 IQD 1,196

$1.08 IQD 1,631

-26.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 IQD 1,195

$0.99 IQD 1,496

-20.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 959

$0.55 IQD 833

14.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 IQD 719

$0.45 IQD 683

6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.62 IQD 940

-20.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 IQD 834

$0.58 IQD 881

-5.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 IQD 520

$0.42 IQD 634

-19.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.60 IQD 2,417

$1.96 IQD 2,956

-18.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.91 IQD 18.0K

$10.04 IQD 15.2K

18.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 IQD 2,023

$1.68 IQD 2,532

-20.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 IQD 2,449

$1.23 IQD 1,855

31.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 518

$0.47 IQD 705

-27.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.81 IQD 29.9K

$19.85 IQD 30.0K

-0.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 IQD 2,961

$2.00 IQD 3,017

-2.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 IQD 2,039

$1.95 IQD 2,951

-30.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.71 IQD 10.1K

$4.74 IQD 7,164

41.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 IQD 777

$0.57 IQD 864

-10.53%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$17.6K IQD 26.7M

-5.14%

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

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

-1.30%

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

$52.8 IQD 79.7K

$86.4 IQD 130.6K

-38.94%

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

$19.52 IQD 29.5K

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

100.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.57 IQD 59.8K

$23.74 IQD 35.9K

66.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.88 IQD 14.9K

$34.60 IQD 52.3K

-71.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 IQD 26.9K

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 IQD 14.9K

$6.43 IQD 9,711

53.19%

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

$146 IQD 220.6K

$150 IQD 226.9K

-2.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,418 IQD 8.2M

$2,562 IQD 3.9M

111.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.35 IQD 38.3K

$16.49 IQD 24.9K

53.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.32 IQD 24.7K

$22.41 IQD 33.9K

-27.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 IQD 89.1K

$36.43 IQD 55.0K

61.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.64 IQD 44.8K

$36.62 IQD 55.3K

-19.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 IQD 248.1K

$187 IQD 282.3K

-12.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$78.3 IQD 118.3K

$150 IQD 225.9K

-47.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$196 IQD 296.5K

$412 IQD 621.8K

-52.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 IQD 294.0K

$308 IQD 464.7K

-36.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$499 IQD 754.1K

$703 IQD 1.1M

-28.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$263 IQD 397.8K

$541 IQD 817.5K

-51.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$373 IQD 563.6K

$502 IQD 758.7K

-25.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

5.77

-28.60%

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

Last update for Kirkuk: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kirkuk

$144 26.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$163 24.4% 13.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kirkuk

$112 20.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$120 18% 7.2% $8

Eating Out

Kirkuk

$95 17.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.5% 9.3% $8.9

Accommodation & Living

Kirkuk

$78 14.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$150 22.4% 91% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Kirkuk

$59 10.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$50 7.6% 14.1% $8.2

Getting Around

Kirkuk

$30 5.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$33 5% 12% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Kirkuk

$30 5.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1% 60.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $164 in Kirkuk and $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sulaymaniyah pays 35% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Kirkuk vs $20 in Sulaymaniyah. Groceries flip the comparison at $144 vs $163, with Kirkuk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Kirkuk

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

Same time as Kirkuk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

850,787

823,199

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kirkuk Sulaymaniyah 95 km

From you

Kirkuk
Sulaymaniyah

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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kirkuk is about 18% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 26% 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: $164 in Kirkuk versus $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $146 in Kirkuk versus $150 in Sulaymaniyah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah – a meal for two runs $20 versus $23 in Kirkuk. 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.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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