Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Iraq Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Iraq

Name: Iraq
Address: IQ

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,689 in Spain versus $561 in Iraq.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,496 in Spain versus $864 in Iraq.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,303 in Spain versus $1,166 in Iraq.

Living in Spain is roughly 201% more expensive than in Iraq on average.

Spain (22% above) and Iraq (59% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 €15.27

$4.51 IQD 5,902

292.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 €49.61

$22.77 IQD 29.8K

152.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.81 €10.18

$7.44 IQD 9,743

58.74%

Cappuccino

$2.43 €2.10

$2.75 IQD 3,597

-11.64%

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

$2.76 €2.38

$0.42 IQD 551

557.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.59

$0.24 IQD 315

666.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.52 €3.03

$3.84 IQD 5,028

-8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 €3.58

$3.86 IQD 5,060

7.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.04

$1.14 IQD 1,497

6.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.32

$0.85 IQD 1,112

81.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.41

$1.52 IQD 1,987

7.89%

Eggs

$3.59 €3.10

$1.73 IQD 2,271

107.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 €12.77

$4.85 IQD 6,352

205.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.49 €7.32

$4.26 IQD 5,573

99.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.68 €14.38

$12.93 IQD 16.9K

29.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.18

$1.05 IQD 1,373

140.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.80

$1.13 IQD 1,480

84.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.84

$0.96 IQD 1,263

121.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.20

$0.67 IQD 871

280.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.57

$0.68 IQD 886

167.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.72

$0.61 IQD 792

227.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.18

$0.67 IQD 880

104.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.70

$0.51 IQD 666

58.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.79

$1.87 IQD 2,450

258.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €4.87

$11.95 IQD 15.7K

-52.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.11

$1.98 IQD 2,594

-34.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.81

$2.11 IQD 2,769

-0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.51

$0.39 IQD 511

351.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.25 €29.52

$26.00 IQD 34.0K

31.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 €3.92

$2.26 IQD 2,955

101.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.27

$1.66 IQD 2,175

-11.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.66 €22.12

$5.97 IQD 7,817

329.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.54

$0.66 IQD 860

171.21%

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

$36.4K €31.4K

$16.9K IQD 22.2M

114.72%

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

$30.6K €26.4K

$19.1K IQD 25.0M

60.10%

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

$152 €131

$113 IQD 148.2K

34.42%

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

$18.49 €15.94

$15.84 IQD 20.7K

16.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.57 €28.94

$33.79 IQD 44.2K

-0.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.38 €40.84

$35.74 IQD 46.8K

32.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.56 €13.41

$18.36 IQD 24.0K

-15.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 €8.59

$7.78 IQD 10.2K

28.02%

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

$548 €473

$171 IQD 224.2K

220.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K €9,343

$2,756 IQD 3.6M

293.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 €77.6

$21.41 IQD 28.0K

320.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.31 €32.16

$27.13 IQD 35.5K

37.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 €79.3

$59.7 IQD 78.1K

54.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €96.1

$44.36 IQD 58.1K

151.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 €905

$308 IQD 403.0K

241.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 €720

$210 IQD 275.6K

297.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,663 €1,433

$551 IQD 722.0K

201.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,250 €1,078

$400 IQD 524.4K

212.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,240 €3,655

$1,557 IQD 2.0M

172.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,711 €2,337

$789 IQD 1.0M

243.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,021 €1,742

$582 IQD 762.0K

247.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

6.32

-48.10%

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

Last update for Spain: September 7, 2026

Last update for Iraq: September 5, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $931 in Spain, $133 in Iraq. Capital cities: $1,577 in Madrid vs $566 in Baghdad.

National salary averages: $2,035 in Spain, $551 in Iraq. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 600% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 195% more in Spain.

Public transport is 182% more expensive in Spain.

Salaries are 269% higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

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

Spain vs Iraq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $562 per month in Iraq and $1,823 in Spain, there's a 224% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Iraq: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Spain is consistently higher than in Iraq across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Iraq, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Spain it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Iraq wins on affordability; Spain may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.