Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Olsztyn and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $956 a month against $1,816 in Olsztyn, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Olsztyn
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Olsztyn Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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Olsztyn

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,816

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Olsztyn and in Erbil

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

A single person spends $1,816 per month in Olsztyn vs $956 in Erbil, rent included.

Olsztyn $1,816
Erbil $956

A couple spends around $2,678 per month in Olsztyn vs $1,421 in Erbil, rent included.

Olsztyn $2,678
Erbil $1,421

A family of three spends $3,540 per month in Olsztyn vs $1,887 in Erbil, rent included.

Olsztyn $3,540
Erbil $1,887

Olsztyn costs about 90% more than Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Olsztyn sits 34% above the global median, while Erbil is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.84 zł 49.88

$6.45 IQD 9,753

99.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 zł 196

$36.44 IQD 55.1K

38.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 zł 34.67

$7.09 IQD 10.7K

25.81%

Cappuccino

$3.31 zł 12.85

$3.23 IQD 4,873

2.48%

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

$2.51 zł 9.75

$0.89 IQD 1,338

182.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 zł 7.26

$0.33 IQD 503

466.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 zł 11.59

$5.17 IQD 7,819

-42.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 zł 15.18

$3.85 IQD 5,825

1.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 zł 4.09

$1.06 IQD 1,600

-0.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 zł 4.90

$0.73 IQD 1,101

72.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 zł 5.52

$1.52 IQD 2,300

-6.58%

Eggs

$3.85 zł 14.95

$1.57 IQD 2,373

145.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.72 zł 37.77

$6.90 IQD 10.4K

40.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.34 zł 28.51

$4.27 IQD 6,458

71.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.04 zł 58.5

$12.51 IQD 18.9K

20.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 zł 4.77

$0.99 IQD 1,501

24.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 zł 6.25

$0.99 IQD 1,495

62.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 zł 6.99

$1.03 IQD 1,555

74.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 zł 13.32

$0.65 IQD 988

427.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 zł 3.78

$0.64 IQD 964

51.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 zł 4.54

$0.61 IQD 925

91.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 zł 5.32

$0.60 IQD 909

128.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 zł 2.64

$0.47 IQD 709

44.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 zł 21.32

$2.15 IQD 3,250

155.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 zł 28.84

$10.81 IQD 16.3K

-31.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 zł 4.39

$1.47 IQD 2,222

-23.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 zł 6.00

$1.87 IQD 2,825

-17.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 zł 4.07

$0.48 IQD 718

118.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.79 zł 100

$38.85 IQD 58.7K

-33.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 zł 8.09

$1.68 IQD 2,531

23.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 zł 2.88

$1.60 IQD 2,421

-53.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.21 zł 39.67

$5.67 IQD 8,566

80.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 zł 6.43

$0.55 IQD 825

201.82%

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

$31.4K zł 121.9K

$16.3K IQD 24.7M

91.97%

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

$29.5K zł 114.4K

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

73.56%

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

$329 zł 1,277

$113 IQD 170.3K

191.61%

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

$10.17 zł 39.53

$12.21 IQD 18.4K

-16.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.00 zł 73.8

$24.30 IQD 36.7K

-21.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 zł 197

$56.6 IQD 85.5K

-10.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.47 zł 87.3

$13.33 IQD 20.1K

68.57%

Cinema Ticket

$9.12 zł 35.42

$10.00 IQD 15.1K

-8.80%

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

$378 zł 1,467

$315 IQD 476.0K

19.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K zł 53.4K

$2,809 IQD 4.2M

389.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 zł 399

$26.70 IQD 40.3K

284.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.59 zł 189

$39.59 IQD 59.8K

22.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 zł 402

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

74.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 zł 406

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

75.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 zł 3,900

$423 IQD 639.7K

137.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 zł 2,892

$275 IQD 415.2K

170.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,685 zł 6,546

$700 IQD 1.1M

140.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,344 zł 5,221

$406 IQD 613.1K

231.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,690 zł 14.3K

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

252.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,548 zł 9,898

$608 IQD 919.3K

318.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,374 zł 5,338

$525 IQD 793.9K

161.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.52

2.53

197.23%

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

Last update for Olsztyn: October 10, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Olsztyn

$744 41%

Erbil

$275 28.7% 63.1% $470

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Olsztyn

$358 19.7%

Erbil

$149 15.6% 58.3% $209

Groceries & Markets

Olsztyn

$238 13.1%

Erbil

$172 18% 27.7% $66

Eating Out

Olsztyn

$209 11.5%

Erbil

$150 15.7% 28.3% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Olsztyn

$162 8.9%

Erbil

$83 8.7% 48.5% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Olsztyn

$69 3.8%

Erbil

$77 8% 11.2% $7.7

Getting Around

Olsztyn

$36 2%

Erbil

$50 5.3% 41% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,004 in Olsztyn versus $423 in Erbil. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 161% higher in Olsztyn, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Olsztyn versus $36.00 in Erbil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $172 – making Erbil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Olsztyn

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

15:52 3:52 PM

1 h ahead of Olsztyn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,675

1,713,461

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 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 PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Olsztyn Erbil 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Olsztyn
Erbil

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

Olsztyn vs Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Olsztyn is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,724 per month in Olsztyn and $1,435 in Erbil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erbil, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Olsztyn, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Olsztyn and $36.00 in Erbil. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Erbil, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Olsztyn at $1,816. In Erbil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Olsztyn it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Erbil – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Erbil. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Olsztyn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.