Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad, Iraq and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $662 a month against $756 in Mashhad, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mashhad outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index

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Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $756 in Mashhad versus $662 in Basra.

Mashhad $756
Basra $662

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,119 in Mashhad versus $1,191 in Basra.

Mashhad $1,119
Basra $1,191

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,481 in Mashhad versus $1,719 in Basra.

Mashhad $1,481
Basra $1,719

Living in Mashhad is roughly 14% more expensive than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mashhad 44% lower, Basra 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.49 IQD 6,781

$4.02 IQD 6,082

11.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

$26.47 IQD 40.0K

0.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

$6.62 IQD 10.0K

1.66%

Cappuccino

$2.71 IQD 4,100

$2.17 IQD 3,285

24.88%

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

$0.36 IQD 542

$0.37 IQD 554

-2.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.28 IQD 417

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 IQD 5,090

$3.25 IQD 4,916

3.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 IQD 5,126

$3.57 IQD 5,393

-5.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 IQD 1,368

$0.92 IQD 1,389

-1.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,106

$0.60 IQD 902

21.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,997

$1.22 IQD 1,842

8.20%

Eggs

$0.82 IQD 1,242

$1.62 IQD 2,448

-49.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.41 IQD 5,157

$6.41 IQD 9,681

-46.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.98 IQD 2,985

$5.58 IQD 8,429

-64.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.95 IQD 4,463

$12.22 IQD 18.5K

-75.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,556

$0.84 IQD 1,267

22.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,377

$1.16 IQD 1,753

-21.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 IQD 1,321

$0.89 IQD 1,342

-2.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 971

$0.60 IQD 910

6.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 898

$0.69 IQD 1,044

-14.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 840

$0.56 IQD 846

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 IQD 474

$0.82 IQD 1,236

-62.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 IQD 321

$0.36 IQD 547

-41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.77 IQD 1,168

$1.85 IQD 2,790

-58.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

$11.16 IQD 16.9K

5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 IQD 2,898

$1.57 IQD 2,365

22.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,832

$1.80 IQD 2,717

3.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 520

$0.50 IQD 762

-32.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.56 IQD 25.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 IQD 2,965

$2.02 IQD 3,056

-2.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 IQD 1,972

$2.00 IQD 3,023

-34.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.42 IQD 9,699

$6.34 IQD 9,581

1.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 IQD 810

$0.55 IQD 838

-1.82%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

43.38%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$19.9K IQD 30.1M

-17.09%

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

$191 IQD 288.5K

$43.26 IQD 65.4K

341.40%

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

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

$21.81 IQD 33.0K

-10.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

$34.04 IQD 51.4K

13.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

$31.25 IQD 47.2K

17.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.28 IQD 18.6K

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

$6.69 IQD 10.1K

44.84%

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

$143 IQD 215.6K

$107 IQD 161.7K

33.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

$3,309 IQD 5.0M

-3.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

$43.15 IQD 65.2K

-40.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

$17.34 IQD 26.2K

96.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

-12.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

$36.13 IQD 54.6K

17.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$212 IQD 319.9K

$405 IQD 612.0K

-47.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 IQD 210.6K

$138 IQD 208.2K

1.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 IQD 571.7K

$370 IQD 559.6K

2.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 IQD 482.6K

$545 IQD 823.8K

-41.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$862 IQD 1.3M

$1,398 IQD 2.1M

-38.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 IQD 742.5K

$704 IQD 1.1M

-30.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$672 IQD 1.0M

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 Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Last update for Basra: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mashhad

$249 32.9%

Basra

$99 15% 60.2% $150

Accommodation & Living

Mashhad

$139 18.4%

Basra

$138 20.8% 1.2% $1.6

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$115 15.2%

Basra

$173 26% 50.1% $58

Eating Out

Mashhad

$115 15.1%

Basra

$104 15.7% 9.1% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$72 9.6%

Basra

$74 11.1% 1.8% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$56 7.4%

Basra

$45 6.7% 20.5% $12

Getting Around

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3%

Basra

$31 4.6% 210% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $212 in Mashhad and $405 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27 in Mashhad vs $26 in Basra. Groceries flip the comparison at $115 vs $173, with Mashhad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

Same time as Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

2,150,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mashhad Basra 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mashhad
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

Mashhad vs Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $756 in Mashhad and $662 in Basra, so Basra is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,134 in Mashhad and $994 in Basra to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $212 in Mashhad versus $405 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $143 in Mashhad versus $107 in Basra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Basra – a meal for two runs $26 versus $27 in Mashhad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Basra 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.