Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Al-miqdadiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $663 a month against $767 in Al-miqdadiyah, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Al-miqdadiyah
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Al-miqdadiyah Living Index

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$663

/mo nomad

Al-miqdadiyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $663 in Sulaymaniyah versus $767 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Sulaymaniyah $663
Al-miqdadiyah $767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,034 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,190 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Sulaymaniyah $1,034
Al-miqdadiyah $1,190

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,406 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,614 in Al-miqdadiyah.

Sulaymaniyah $1,406
Al-miqdadiyah $1,614

Living in Sulaymaniyah costs roughly 14% less than in Al-miqdadiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Al-miqdadiyah 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.21 IQD 6,363

$4.02 IQD 6,077

4.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

$36.99 IQD 55.9K

-46.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 IQD 8,916

$7.47 IQD 11.3K

-21.02%

Cappuccino

$2.45 IQD 3,702

$3.25 IQD 4,907

-24.62%

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

$0.43 IQD 650

$0.82 IQD 1,244

-47.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.33 IQD 503

-39.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 IQD 4,873

$5.70 IQD 8,620

-43.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 IQD 3,080

$3.85 IQD 5,822

-47.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,677

$1.11 IQD 1,671

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 IQD 1,339

$0.69 IQD 1,037

28.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 IQD 2,516

$1.46 IQD 2,204

13.70%

Eggs

$1.55 IQD 2,345

$1.59 IQD 2,401

-2.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 IQD 6,509

$7.19 IQD 10.9K

-40.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 IQD 5,536

$4.22 IQD 6,384

-13.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

$12.98 IQD 19.6K

2.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 IQD 1,680

$0.97 IQD 1,463

14.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 IQD 1,646

$1.00 IQD 1,506

9.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 IQD 1,579

$1.02 IQD 1,539

1.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 843

$0.71 IQD 1,070

-21.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.65 IQD 983

-24.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 957

$0.62 IQD 943

1.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 883

$0.60 IQD 905

-3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 IQD 685

$0.49 IQD 740

-8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 IQD 3,049

$2.12 IQD 3,207

-4.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

$10.55 IQD 15.9K

-7.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 IQD 2,509

$1.41 IQD 2,126

17.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 IQD 1,896

$1.85 IQD 2,800

-32.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 786

$0.29 IQD 440

79.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 IQD 2,904

$1.68 IQD 2,540

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 IQD 2,961

$1.61 IQD 2,427

21.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 IQD 6,774

$5.44 IQD 8,223

-17.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 865

$0.57 IQD 866

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

$16.8K IQD 25.3M

4.84%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$16.9K IQD 25.6M

0.07%

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

$85.2 IQD 128.7K

$114 IQD 172.8K

-25.51%

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

$10.12 IQD 15.3K

$12.20 IQD 18.4K

-17.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

$23.98 IQD 36.2K

0.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.78 IQD 51.0K

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

-12.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 IQD 27.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,916

$9.98 IQD 15.1K

-34.27%

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

$153 IQD 231.1K

$291 IQD 440.3K

-47.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,546 IQD 3.8M

$2,756 IQD 4.2M

-7.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 IQD 25.3K

$27.15 IQD 41.0K

-38.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$38.74 IQD 58.5K

-42.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.83 IQD 55.7K

$59.0 IQD 89.1K

-37.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.01 IQD 49.9K

$59.5 IQD 90.0K

-44.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.6K

$204 IQD 308.7K

-8.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 IQD 221.9K

$156 IQD 235.3K

-5.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 IQD 632.8K

$341 IQD 515.6K

22.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 IQD 474.4K

$291 IQD 439.2K

8.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$695 IQD 1.1M

$921 IQD 1.4M

-24.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$518 IQD 782.9K

5.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 IQD 757.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.77

2.53

128.06%

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

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Al-miqdadiyah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$164 24.7%

Al-miqdadiyah

$173 22.6% 5.9% $9.7

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$147 22.2%

Al-miqdadiyah

$156 20.3% 6% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$119 18%

Al-miqdadiyah

$151 19.6% 26.1% $31

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6%

Al-miqdadiyah

$134 17.5% 29.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4%

Al-miqdadiyah

$83 10.8% 69.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1%

Al-miqdadiyah

$59 7.7% 25.2% $12

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5.1%

Al-miqdadiyah

$11 * 1.4% 67.6% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $187 in Sulaymaniyah and $204 in Al-miqdadiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Sulaymaniyah vs $37 in Al-miqdadiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $174 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Al-miqdadiyah

🕒 Local time

21:07 9:07 PM

Same time as Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

155,968

💱 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

On the map

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Sulaymaniyah Al-miqdadiyah 180 km

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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

Sulaymaniyah vs Al-miqdadiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sulaymaniyah and Al-miqdadiyah differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($663 vs $767 including rent). Sulaymaniyah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $994 in Sulaymaniyah and $1,150 in Al-miqdadiyah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $187 in Sulaymaniyah versus $204 in Al-miqdadiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Al-miqdadiyah. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $663 per month in Sulaymaniyah versus $767 in Al-miqdadiyah – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Sulaymaniyah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.