Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Al Kut

For one person, living costs are similar in Sulaymaniyah and in Al Kut: $667 and $657 a month, rent and utilities included.

32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
Learn more

Sulaymaniyah Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Al Kut
Learn more

Al Kut Living Index

Jump to prices

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$667

/mo nomad

Al Kut

🇮🇶 Iraq

$657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Al Kut

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 Kut actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $667 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $657 in Al Kut, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $667
Al Kut $657

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $1,024 in Al Kut, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $1,035
Al Kut $1,024

A family of three spends $1,403 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $1,391 in Al Kut, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $1,403
Al Kut $1,391

Sulaymaniyah and Al Kut have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 IQD 6,570

$4.25 IQD 6,426

2.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.15 IQD 30.5K

$21.06 IQD 31.8K

-4.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 IQD 8,935

$6.29 IQD 9,511

-6.04%

Cappuccino

$2.37 IQD 3,580

$2.48 IQD 3,748

-4.44%

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

$0.43 IQD 644

$0.35 IQD 534

22.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.22 IQD 333

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 IQD 4,890

$3.36 IQD 5,072

-3.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 IQD 3,071

$2.60 IQD 3,934

-21.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 IQD 1,732

$0.99 IQD 1,499

16.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 IQD 1,306

$0.73 IQD 1,108

17.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 IQD 2,534

$1.48 IQD 2,234

13.51%

Eggs

$1.53 IQD 2,306

$1.54 IQD 2,321

-0.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 IQD 6,514

$3.76 IQD 5,679

14.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.72 IQD 5,627

$3.48 IQD 5,256

6.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 IQD 19.6K

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

11.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 IQD 1,684

$0.87 IQD 1,311

27.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 IQD 1,631

$1.05 IQD 1,582

2.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,496

$0.86 IQD 1,292

15.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 833

$0.67 IQD 1,019

-17.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.45 IQD 683

$0.54 IQD 820

-16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 IQD 940

$0.61 IQD 927

1.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 881

$0.58 IQD 873

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 IQD 634

$0.51 IQD 775

-17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 IQD 2,956

$1.70 IQD 2,563

15.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 IQD 15.2K

$11.12 IQD 16.8K

-9.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 IQD 2,532

$1.58 IQD 2,382

6.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 IQD 1,855

$1.88 IQD 2,837

-34.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 IQD 705

$0.32 IQD 481

46.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 IQD 30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 IQD 3,017

$1.87 IQD 2,823

6.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 IQD 2,951

$1.34 IQD 2,019

45.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 IQD 7,164

$5.55 IQD 8,382

-14.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 864

$0.58 IQD 871

-1.72%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.7M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

5.04%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

1.40%

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

$86.4 IQD 130.6K

$85.1 IQD 128.6K

1.56%

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

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

$13.61 IQD 20.6K

-28.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.74 IQD 35.9K

$28.70 IQD 43.4K

-17.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.60 IQD 52.3K

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

-6.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 IQD 26.9K

Cinema Ticket

$6.43 IQD 9,711

$9.11 IQD 13.8K

-29.42%

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

$150 IQD 226.9K

$146 IQD 220.6K

2.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,562 IQD 3.9M

$2,793 IQD 4.2M

-8.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.49 IQD 24.9K

$21.30 IQD 32.2K

-22.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.41 IQD 33.9K

$22.72 IQD 34.3K

-1.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.43 IQD 55.0K

$60.6 IQD 91.5K

-39.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.62 IQD 55.3K

$37.16 IQD 56.1K

-1.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.3K

$211 IQD 318.6K

-11.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 IQD 225.9K

$138 IQD 209.0K

8.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 IQD 621.8K

$368 IQD 556.5K

11.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 IQD 464.7K

$315 IQD 476.3K

-2.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$703 IQD 1.1M

$849 IQD 1.3M

-17.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$541 IQD 817.5K

$488 IQD 737.0K

10.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 IQD 758.7K

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: November 3, 2026

Last update for Al Kut: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$163 24.4%

Al Kut

$156 23.7% 4.6% $7.5

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$150 22.4%

Al Kut

$138 21.1% 7.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$120 18%

Al Kut

$127 19.4% 6.2% $7.5

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.5%

Al Kut

$107 16.3% 3.1% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$50 7.6%

Al Kut

$64 9.7% 26.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1%

Al Kut

$55 8.4% 16.2% $7.7

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$33 5%

Al Kut

$9.8 * 1.5% 70.7% $24

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 $211 in Al Kut. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Sulaymaniyah versus $21 in Al Kut. Groceries tell a different story – $163 in Sulaymaniyah vs $156 in Al Kut – so Al Kut wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Al Kut

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

Same time as Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

422,793

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sulaymaniyah Al Kut 340 km

From you

Sulaymaniyah
Al Kut

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 Kut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,001 per month in Sulaymaniyah and $985 in Al Kut. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sulaymaniyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $187 there versus $211 in Al Kut.

Kindergarten costs $150 per month in Sulaymaniyah and $146 in Al Kut. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Sulaymaniyah, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $667 in Sulaymaniyah and $657 in Al Kut, 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 $657 in Al Kut to $667 in Sulaymaniyah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.