Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sinjar and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Sinjar: $540 a month against $958 in Erbil, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Sinjar
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Sinjar Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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Sinjar

🇮🇶 Iraq

$540

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $540 per month in Sinjar vs $958 in Erbil, rent included.

Sinjar $540
Erbil $958

A couple spends around $842 per month in Sinjar vs $1,427 in Erbil, rent included.

Sinjar $842
Erbil $1,427

A family of three spends $1,145 per month in Sinjar vs $1,896 in Erbil, rent included.

Sinjar $1,145
Erbil $1,896

Sinjar is about 44% cheaper than Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sinjar and Erbil are more affordable than the global median – Sinjar 60% lower, Erbil 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 IQD 6,152

$6.42 IQD 9,704

-36.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.72 IQD 11.7K

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

-78.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

-3.64%

Cappuccino

$0.68 IQD 1,023

$3.24 IQD 4,889

-79.01%

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

$0.34 IQD 519

$0.89 IQD 1,341

-61.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 IQD 263

$0.33 IQD 505

-48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 IQD 1,470

$5.75 IQD 8,681

-83.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 IQD 2,557

$3.92 IQD 5,921

-56.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 IQD 1,041

$1.07 IQD 1,611

-35.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 IQD 1,037

$0.67 IQD 1,019

2.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 955

$1.52 IQD 2,303

-58.55%

Eggs

$1.57 IQD 2,374

$1.60 IQD 2,413

-1.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.00 IQD 3,030

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

-71.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.05 IQD 6,124

$4.38 IQD 6,614

-7.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 IQD 15.7K

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

-18.00%

Apples (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,037

$0.94 IQD 1,415

-26.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 IQD 1,017

$1.01 IQD 1,528

-33.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$1.02 IQD 1,544

-38.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,024

$0.70 IQD 1,064

-2.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 977

$0.65 IQD 982

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 894

$0.63 IQD 952

-6.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 IQD 993

$0.64 IQD 968

3.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 IQD 477

$0.52 IQD 781

-38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 IQD 2,458

$2.19 IQD 3,303

-25.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.44 IQD 9,726

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

-40.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 IQD 1,522

$1.45 IQD 2,191

-30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 IQD 2,466

$1.79 IQD 2,712

-8.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 IQD 456

$0.49 IQD 736

-38.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 IQD 2,443

$1.67 IQD 2,519

-2.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 IQD 2,318

$1.60 IQD 2,418

-4.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 IQD 8,319

$5.78 IQD 8,728

-4.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.29 IQD 437

$0.57 IQD 867

-49.12%

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

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

-3.44%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

-0.06%

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

$39.11 IQD 59.1K

$111 IQD 168.1K

-64.84%

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

$12.27 IQD 18.5K

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

0.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.36 IQD 36.8K

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

-1.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.27 IQD 56.3K

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

-34.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.40 IQD 50.5K

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

147.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

1.35%

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

$292 IQD 441.8K

$294 IQD 443.8K

-0.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,747 IQD 4.2M

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

0.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.19 IQD 15.4K

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

-61.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.82 IQD 14.8K

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

-74.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

-2.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.8 IQD 88.8K

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

-1.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$211 IQD 318.4K

$426 IQD 643.6K

-50.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.5K

$271 IQD 410.0K

-49.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 IQD 623.1K

$699 IQD 1.1M

-40.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 IQD 424.3K

$404 IQD 610.4K

-30.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$733 IQD 1.1M

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

-27.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$552 IQD 834.2K

$615 IQD 929.8K

-10.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$197 IQD 297.0K

$519 IQD 783.7K

-62.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

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

Last update for Sinjar: October 24, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sinjar

$138 25.6%

Erbil

$271 28.3% 96.7% $133

Groceries & Markets

Sinjar

$124 23%

Erbil

$174 18.1% 39.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sinjar

$76 14%

Erbil

$148 15.5% 95.5% $72

Eating Out

Sinjar

$72 13.4%

Erbil

$154 16.1% 113% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Sinjar

$62 11.5%

Erbil

$84 8.8% 34.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Sinjar

$57 10.5%

Erbil

$76 8% 34.2% $19

Getting Around

Sinjar

$11 * 1.9%

Erbil

$51 5.3% 385% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $211 in Sinjar versus $426 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 in Erbil are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Sinjar versus $37 in Erbil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $124 vs $174 – making Sinjar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sinjar

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

Same time as Sinjar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,023

1,713,461

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Sinjar vs Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Erbil is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $810 per month in Sinjar and $1,437 in Erbil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sinjar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $426 in Erbil.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $540 in Sinjar and $958 in Erbil. That’s a gap of about 77%.

Kindergarten costs $292 per month in Sinjar and $294 in Erbil. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $540 in Sinjar and $958 in Erbil, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Erbil has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $540 in Sinjar to $958 in Erbil. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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