Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rabat and Al Hillah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Hillah: $658 a month against $1,928 in Rabat, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Al Hillah
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Al Hillah Living Index

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Rabat

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,928

/mo nomad

Al Hillah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rabat and in Al Hillah

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

A single person spends $1,928 per month in Rabat vs $658 in Al Hillah, rent included.

Rabat $1,928
Al Hillah $658

A couple spends around $2,701 per month in Rabat vs $1,007 in Al Hillah, rent included.

Rabat $2,701
Al Hillah $1,007

A family of three spends $3,474 per month in Rabat vs $1,356 in Al Hillah, rent included.

Rabat $3,474
Al Hillah $1,356

Rabat costs about 193% more than Al Hillah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rabat sits 43% above the global median, while Al Hillah is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.55 €14.72

$4.24 IQD 6,402

290.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 €44.82

$26.23 IQD 39.6K

92.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.19 €9.96

$5.54 IQD 8,369

101.99%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.00

$2.73 IQD 4,123

-17.58%

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

$2.48 €2.20

$0.31 IQD 476

700.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$0.16 IQD 247

956.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.97

$2.59 IQD 3,916

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.27 IQD 4,937

4.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.88 IQD 1,336

26.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.19

$0.68 IQD 1,034

97.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.36 IQD 2,050

66.18%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.11

$1.55 IQD 2,338

125.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.97 €7.09

$3.38 IQD 5,114

135.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 €7.00

$4.21 IQD 6,356

86.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 €11.13

$12.53 IQD 18.9K

-0.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 €3.67

$0.96 IQD 1,457

329.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.89 IQD 1,349

144.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 €3.16

$0.90 IQD 1,361

294.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.68 IQD 1,027

225.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.59 IQD 895

94.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.56 IQD 846

103.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.48 IQD 720

127.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.51 IQD 770

113.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 €6.05

$1.63 IQD 2,462

317.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 €7.32

$11.51 IQD 17.4K

-28.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.98 IQD 2,984

-11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.96 IQD 2,968

24.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 €2.41

$0.35 IQD 522

674.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.17 IQD 30.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 €5.09

$2.01 IQD 3,038

185.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.33 IQD 2,015

66.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.77 €23.81

$3.01 IQD 4,544

789.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.34

$0.46 IQD 694

228.26%

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

$37.7K €33.6K

$14.7K IQD 22.1M

157.56%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$16.6K IQD 25.0M

133.31%

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

$101 €90.2

$66.6 IQD 100.7K

52.21%

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

$12.17 €10.82

$13.22 IQD 20.0K

-7.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 €38.12

$33.28 IQD 50.3K

28.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.1 €55.3

$19.72 IQD 29.8K

214.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.18 €19.73

$16.70 IQD 25.2K

32.81%

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 €8.98

$6.43 IQD 9,709

56.92%

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

$369 €328

$81.6 IQD 123.3K

352.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$664 IQD 1.0M

1599.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €76.7

$19.27 IQD 29.1K

347.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.60 €24.55

$21.61 IQD 32.7K

27.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 €65.6

$57.8 IQD 87.3K

27.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 €68.3

$41.29 IQD 62.4K

86.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 €934

$240 IQD 363.3K

336.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 €933

$154 IQD 232.2K

582.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 €1,543

$437 IQD 660.1K

297.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 €1,299

$249 IQD 376.2K

486.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,396 €3,910

$1,470 IQD 2.2M

199.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,149 €2,801

$479 IQD 724.3K

556.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,318 €1,173

$436 IQD 658.2K

202.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

3.33

-12.91%

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

Last update for Rabat: October 10, 2026

Last update for Al Hillah: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rabat

$1K 54.4%

Al Hillah

$154 23.4% 85.3% $895

Groceries & Markets

Rabat

$261 13.5%

Al Hillah

$161 24.5% 38.2% $100

Eating Out

Rabat

$233 12.1%

Al Hillah

$105 15.9% 55.1% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rabat

$156 8.1%

Al Hillah

$113 17.2% 27.7% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Rabat

$119 6.2%

Al Hillah

$63 9.6% 47.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Rabat

$82 4.3%

Al Hillah

$33 5% 60.4% $50

Getting Around

Rabat

$28 * 1.4%

Al Hillah

$30 4.6% 9.6% $2.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Rabat versus $240 in Al Hillah. 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 203% higher in Rabat, 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 Rabat versus $26.00 in Al Hillah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $261 vs $161 – making Al Hillah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Rabat

🇮🇶 Al Hillah

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

16:21 4:21 PM

1 h ahead of Rabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,497

1,729,666

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rabat Al Hillah 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Rabat
Al Hillah

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

Rabat vs Al Hillah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rabat is pricier by about 193%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,892 per month in Rabat and $987 in Al Hillah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Rabat and $26.00 in Al Hillah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Rabat, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al Hillah, where all-in costs run around $658, than in Rabat at $1,928. In Al Hillah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rabat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al Hillah – 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 Al Hillah. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rabat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.