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Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusaka and Erbil Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusaka and Erbil

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Lusaka is 0.3% cheaper than Erbil without rent, and 16.3% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Lusaka is 5.5% cheaper than Erbil without rent, and 1.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Lusaka
Erbil
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.08 ZMWย 142
$7.45 IQDย 9,770
-4.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.03 ZMWย 500
$22.51 IQDย 29.5K
11.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.64 ZMWย 72.8
$9.03 IQDย 11.8K
-59.69%
Cappuccino
$1.94 ZMWย 38.70
$3.26 IQDย 4,278
-40.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 ZMWย 13.65
$0.51 IQDย 673
33.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ZMWย 6.70
$0.22 IQDย 289
54.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.89 ZMWย 17.74
$1.92 IQDย 2,518
-53.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ZMWย 34.77
$2.09 IQDย 2,737
-16.75%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Lusaka
Erbil
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 ZMWย 26.44
$1.38 IQDย 1,814
-4.35%
White Bread (500g)
$0.78 ZMWย 15.65
$0.79 IQDย 1,036
-1.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 ZMWย 32.61
$1.88 IQDย 2,471
-13.30%
Eggs
$1.78 ZMWย 35.49
$1.88 IQDย 2,471
-5.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.93 ZMWย 158
$7.31 IQDย 9,581
8.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.91 ZMWย 78.1
$4.80 IQDย 6,300
-18.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.68 ZMWย 93.5
$14.16 IQDย 18.6K
-66.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.49 ZMWย 49.80
$1.15 IQDย 1,502
116.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 ZMWย 32.99
$1.15 IQDย 1,506
43.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.81 ZMWย 56.2
$1.18 IQDย 1,545
138.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 ZMWย 23.01
$0.80 IQDย 1,053
43.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.90 ZMWย 37.92
$0.71 IQDย 931
167.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.32 ZMWย 26.44
$0.71 IQDย 935
85.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.92 ZMWย 18.37
$0.78 IQDย 1,022
17.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ZMWย 9.53
$0.52 IQDย 676
-7.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.42 ZMWย 48.44
$2.76 IQDย 3,618
-12.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.40 ZMWย 148
$12.31 IQDย 16.1K
-39.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 ZMWย 22.74
$1.38 IQDย 1,809
-17.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ZMWย 31.67
$2.02 IQDย 2,644
-21.29%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Lusaka
Erbil
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.04 ZMWย 20.68
$0.58 IQDย 761
79.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.21 ZMWย 763
$34.12 IQDย 44.7K
11.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.81 ZMWย 56.2
$2.24 IQDย 2,937
25.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.17 ZMWย 23.38
$2.26 IQDย 2,963
-48.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.34 ZMWย 187
$6.95 IQDย 9,110
34.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 ZMWย 24.59
$0.70 IQDย 919
75.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$8,063 ZMWย 161.1K
$18.9K IQDย 24.8M
-57.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.0K ZMWย 579.4K
$20.8K IQDย 27.3M
39.13%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lusaka
Erbil
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.3 ZMWย 1,825
$100 IQDย 131.7K
-9.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$53.3 ZMWย 1,064
$17.33 IQDย 22.7K
207.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$126 ZMWย 2,515
$29.27 IQDย 38.4K
329.96%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Lusaka
Erbil
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.32 ZMWย 906
$74.0 IQDย 97.1K
-38.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.95 ZMWย 279
$11.37 IQDย 14.9K
22.69%
Cinema Ticket
$4.13 ZMWย 82.5
$11.37 IQDย 14.9K
-63.68%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Lusaka
Erbil
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$179 ZMWย 3,578
$263 IQDย 345.1K
-31.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,680 ZMWย 193.4K
$3,249 IQDย 4.3M
197.90%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Lusaka
Erbil
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.79 ZMWย 375
$32.51 IQDย 42.6K
-42.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.87 ZMWย 337
$49.92 IQDย 65.5K
-66.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.4 ZMWย 1,707
$83.0 IQDย 108.8K
3.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.9 ZMWย 1,457
$76.4 IQDย 100.2K
-4.55%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Lusaka
Erbil
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$230 ZMWย 4,588
$437 IQDย 572.4K
-47.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$124 ZMWย 2,469
$285 IQDย 373.2K
-56.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,032 ZMWย 20.6K
$722 IQDย 946.3K
42.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$598 ZMWย 12.0K
$480 IQDย 629.0K
24.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,935 ZMWย 38.7K
$1,122 IQDย 1.5M
72.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,782 ZMWย 75.6K
$673 IQDย 882.6K
461.82%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Lusaka
Erbil
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$344 ZMWย 6,868
$544 IQDย 713.4K
-36.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
25
14.33
74.46%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lusaka: January 12, 2026

Last update for Erbil: January 13, 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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