Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $668 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon 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 Lisbon and in Sulaymaniyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $668 in Sulaymaniyah.

Lisbon $2,223
Sulaymaniyah $668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,038 in Sulaymaniyah.

Lisbon $3,271
Sulaymaniyah $1,038

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,407 in Sulaymaniyah.

Lisbon $4,319
Sulaymaniyah $1,407

Living in Lisbon is roughly 233% more expensive than in Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Sulaymaniyah is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$4.41 IQD 6,664

274.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$20.08 IQD 30.3K

205.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$6.02 IQD 9,090

87.21%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.38 IQD 3,595

28.57%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.42 IQD 639

438.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.22 IQD 332

686.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.25 IQD 4,910

4.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.96 IQD 2,968

73.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.10 IQD 1,659

1.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.86 IQD 1,300

116.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.65 IQD 2,494

-7.27%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.48 IQD 2,232

167.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$4.46 IQD 6,743

186.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$3.53 IQD 5,334

123.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$12.97 IQD 19.6K

30.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.14 IQD 1,730

99.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.07 IQD 1,619

63.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.01 IQD 1,524

83.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$0.58 IQD 878

343.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.49 IQD 739

279.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.59 IQD 892

242.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.63 IQD 950

128.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.45 IQD 682

82.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$2.00 IQD 3,021

228.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$9.99 IQD 15.1K

-43.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.67 IQD 2,527

-23.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.26 IQD 1,899

64.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.51 IQD 769

360.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$19.73 IQD 29.8K

123.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.95 IQD 2,952

104.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.94 IQD 2,925

-43.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$4.60 IQD 6,957

261.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.57 IQD 857

300.00%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

91.24%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

136.64%

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

$167 €149

$87.2 IQD 131.7K

92.16%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$10.17 IQD 15.4K

84.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$23.75 IQD 35.9K

39.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$34.59 IQD 52.3K

33.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$17.49 IQD 26.4K

9.72%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$6.66 IQD 10.1K

47.75%

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

$677 €602

$150 IQD 227.3K

350.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$2,553 IQD 3.9M

562.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$16.58 IQD 25.0K

510.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$21.70 IQD 32.8K

110.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$37.04 IQD 56.0K

169.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$33.18 IQD 50.1K

270.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$187 IQD 283.1K

761.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$149 IQD 225.8K

701.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$410 IQD 619.7K

597.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$313 IQD 472.8K

535.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$688 IQD 1.0M

1001.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$530 IQD 800.5K

712.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$487 IQD 735.7K

226.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.77

-33.28%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Sulaymaniyah

$149 22.4% 87.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Sulaymaniyah

$163 24.4% 39.7% $107

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Sulaymaniyah

$105 15.7% 56.8% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Sulaymaniyah

$121 18.1% 44.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.3% 70.7% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Sulaymaniyah

$48 7.2% 27.1% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$33 5% 47% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 226% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $20.00 in Sulaymaniyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $163 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

823,199

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Sulaymaniyah 4,780 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Sulaymaniyah differ by about 233% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $668 including rent). Sulaymaniyah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 226% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $187 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $150 in Sulaymaniyah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $668 in Sulaymaniyah versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sulaymaniyah but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sulaymaniyah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Sulaymaniyah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sulaymaniyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 233% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.