Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Al-musayyib

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $663 a month against $768 in Al-musayyib, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Al-musayyib
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Al-musayyib Living Index

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$663

/mo nomad

Al-musayyib

🇮🇶 Iraq

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $663 in Sulaymaniyah versus $768 in Al-musayyib.

Sulaymaniyah $663
Al-musayyib $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,034 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,152 in Al-musayyib.

Sulaymaniyah $1,034
Al-musayyib $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,406 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,536 in Al-musayyib.

Sulaymaniyah $1,406
Al-musayyib $1,536

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.21 IQD 6,363

$4.50 IQD 6,793

-6.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

$25.91 IQD 39.1K

-23.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 IQD 8,916

$6.43 IQD 9,721

-8.24%

Cappuccino

$2.45 IQD 3,702

$2.82 IQD 4,267

-13.12%

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

$0.43 IQD 650

$0.38 IQD 576

13.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.22 IQD 332

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 IQD 4,873

$3.33 IQD 5,026

-3.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 IQD 3,080

$3.25 IQD 4,904

-37.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,677

$0.90 IQD 1,359

23.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 IQD 1,339

$0.67 IQD 1,019

32.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 IQD 2,516

$1.30 IQD 1,971

27.69%

Eggs

$1.55 IQD 2,345

$1.29 IQD 1,951

20.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 IQD 6,509

$3.42 IQD 5,163

26.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 IQD 5,536

$3.28 IQD 4,962

11.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

$10.03 IQD 15.1K

32.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 IQD 1,680

$1.02 IQD 1,540

8.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 IQD 1,646

$0.90 IQD 1,357

21.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 IQD 1,579

$0.94 IQD 1,415

10.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 843

$0.48 IQD 721

16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.54 IQD 817

-9.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 957

$0.48 IQD 732

31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 883

$0.48 IQD 730

20.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 IQD 685

$0.34 IQD 518

32.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 IQD 3,049

$1.68 IQD 2,531

20.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

$11.98 IQD 18.1K

-18.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 IQD 2,509

$1.89 IQD 2,862

-12.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 IQD 1,896

$1.87 IQD 2,831

-33.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 786

$0.32 IQD 480

62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 IQD 2,904

$2.01 IQD 3,043

-4.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 IQD 2,961

$1.30 IQD 1,961

50.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 IQD 6,774

$6.75 IQD 10.2K

-33.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 865

$0.55 IQD 825

3.64%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

6.34%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

2.55%

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

$85.2 IQD 128.7K

$187 IQD 282.9K

-54.51%

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

$10.12 IQD 15.3K

$19.82 IQD 30.0K

-48.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

$38.37 IQD 58.0K

-37.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.78 IQD 51.0K

$33.70 IQD 50.9K

0.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 IQD 27.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,916

$10.19 IQD 15.4K

-35.62%

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

$153 IQD 231.1K

$146 IQD 220.6K

4.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,546 IQD 3.8M

$3,199 IQD 4.8M

-20.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 IQD 25.3K

$25.73 IQD 38.9K

-34.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$33.53 IQD 50.7K

-33.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.83 IQD 55.7K

$58.9 IQD 89.0K

-37.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.01 IQD 49.9K

$41.11 IQD 62.1K

-19.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.6K

$206 IQD 311.9K

-9.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 IQD 221.9K

$127 IQD 192.6K

15.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 IQD 632.8K

$321 IQD 485.3K

30.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 IQD 474.4K

$308 IQD 465.5K

1.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$695 IQD 1.1M

$974 IQD 1.5M

-28.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$537 IQD 811.4K

2.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 IQD 757.3K

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-musayyib: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$164 24.7%

Al-musayyib

$145 18.9% 11.3% $18

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$147 22.2%

Al-musayyib

$127 16.6% 13.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$119 18%

Al-musayyib

$245 31.9% 106% $126

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6%

Al-musayyib

$115 14.9% 10.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4%

Al-musayyib

$72 9.3% 46.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1%

Al-musayyib

$54 7% 15.3% $7.2

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5.1%

Al-musayyib

$9.8 * 1.3% 70.9% $24

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 $206 in Al-musayyib. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Sulaymaniyah vs $26 in Al-musayyib. Groceries flip the comparison at $164 vs $145, with Al-musayyib cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Al-musayyib

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

Same time as Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

279,939

💱 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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Between locations

Sulaymaniyah Al-musayyib 330 km

From you

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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-musayyib: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sulaymaniyah and Al-musayyib differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($663 vs $768 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 $1,153 in Al-musayyib 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 $206 in Al-musayyib. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $153 in Sulaymaniyah versus $146 in Al-musayyib. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah – a meal for two runs $20 versus $26 in Al-musayyib. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.