Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Al-'amarah

For one person, living costs are similar in Sulaymaniyah and in Al-’amarah: $663 and $672 a month, rent and utilities included.

32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Al-'amarah
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Al-'amarah Living Index

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$663

/mo nomad

Al-'amarah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$672

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Al-'amarah

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

A single person spends $663 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $672 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $663
Al-'amarah $672

A couple spends around $1,034 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $1,023 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $1,034
Al-'amarah $1,023

A family of three spends $1,406 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $1,373 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $1,406
Al-'amarah $1,373

Sulaymaniyah and Al-’amarah have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Sulaymaniyah and Al-’amarah are more affordable than the global median – Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Al-’amarah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.21 IQD 6,363

$4.08 IQD 6,163

3.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

$19.39 IQD 29.3K

1.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 IQD 8,916

$6.29 IQD 9,501

-6.20%

Cappuccino

$2.45 IQD 3,702

$2.23 IQD 3,364

9.87%

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

$0.43 IQD 650

$0.38 IQD 575

13.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.21 IQD 311

-4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 IQD 4,873

$3.01 IQD 4,555

6.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 IQD 3,080

$2.45 IQD 3,705

-16.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,677

$0.99 IQD 1,494

12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 IQD 1,339

$0.67 IQD 1,014

32.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 IQD 2,516

$1.38 IQD 2,090

20.29%

Eggs

$1.55 IQD 2,345

$1.59 IQD 2,409

-2.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 IQD 6,509

$3.88 IQD 5,856

11.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 IQD 5,536

$3.44 IQD 5,192

6.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

$13.32 IQD 20.1K

-0.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 IQD 1,680

$0.95 IQD 1,440

16.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 IQD 1,646

$0.98 IQD 1,474

11.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 IQD 1,579

$0.91 IQD 1,368

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 843

$0.63 IQD 951

-11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.55 IQD 836

-10.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 957

$0.63 IQD 950

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 883

$0.56 IQD 848

3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 IQD 685

$0.47 IQD 715

-4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 IQD 3,049

$1.48 IQD 2,231

36.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

-19.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 IQD 2,509

$1.68 IQD 2,545

-1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 IQD 1,896

$1.85 IQD 2,798

-32.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 786

$0.29 IQD 438

79.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 IQD 2,904

$1.79 IQD 2,712

7.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 IQD 2,961

$1.17 IQD 1,766

67.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 IQD 6,774

$5.46 IQD 8,252

-17.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 865

$0.58 IQD 878

-1.72%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

-0.18%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$14.7K IQD 22.2M

15.61%

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

$85.2 IQD 128.7K

$97.8 IQD 147.8K

-12.92%

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

$10.12 IQD 15.3K

$14.57 IQD 22.0K

-30.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

$28.47 IQD 43.0K

-15.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.78 IQD 51.0K

$36.45 IQD 55.1K

-7.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 IQD 27.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,916

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

-27.43%

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

$153 IQD 231.1K

$143 IQD 216.2K

6.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,546 IQD 3.8M

$2,964 IQD 4.5M

-14.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 IQD 25.3K

$23.18 IQD 35.0K

-27.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$22.01 IQD 33.3K

1.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.83 IQD 55.7K

$68.2 IQD 103.0K

-46.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.01 IQD 49.9K

$32.78 IQD 49.5K

0.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.6K

$204 IQD 308.8K

-8.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 IQD 221.9K

$140 IQD 211.8K

4.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 IQD 632.8K

$368 IQD 555.9K

13.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 IQD 474.4K

$287 IQD 433.4K

9.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$695 IQD 1.1M

$863 IQD 1.3M

-19.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$486 IQD 733.7K

12.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 IQD 757.3K

$434 IQD 655.1K

15.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.77

4.12

40.05%

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

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Al-'amarah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$164 24.7%

Al-'amarah

$162 24.1% 1.2% $2

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$147 22.2%

Al-'amarah

$140 20.9% 4.5% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$119 18%

Al-'amarah

$141 21% 18.1% $22

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6%

Al-'amarah

$101 15% 2.9% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4%

Al-'amarah

$66 9.8% 34.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1%

Al-'amarah

$55 8.1% 16.2% $7.6

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5.1%

Al-'amarah

$8.8 * 1.3% 73.8% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $187 in Sulaymaniyah versus $204 in Al-’amarah. 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 16% higher in Sulaymaniyah. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Sulaymaniyah versus $19 in Al-’amarah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $164 vs $162 – making Al-’amarah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Al-'amarah

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

Same time as Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

511,542

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sulaymaniyah Al-'amarah 440 km

From you

Sulaymaniyah
Al-'amarah

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

Sulaymaniyah vs Al-'amarah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $994 per month in Sulaymaniyah and $1,009 in Al-’amarah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $187 in Sulaymaniyah and $204 in Al-’amarah. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Sulaymaniyah and $19 in Al-’amarah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $153 per month in Sulaymaniyah and $143 in Al-’amarah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $663 in Sulaymaniyah and $672 in Al-’amarah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Sulaymaniyah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $663 in Sulaymaniyah to $672 in Al-’amarah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.