Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Al-Rumaitha

For one person, living costs are similar in Sulaymaniyah and in Al-Rumaitha: $668 and $650 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-Rumaitha
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Al-Rumaitha Living Index

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$668

/mo nomad

Al-Rumaitha

🇮🇶 Iraq

$650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $668 in Sulaymaniyah versus $650 in Al-Rumaitha.

Sulaymaniyah $668
Al-Rumaitha $650

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,038 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,027 in Al-Rumaitha.

Sulaymaniyah $1,038
Al-Rumaitha $1,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,407 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,403 in Al-Rumaitha.

Sulaymaniyah $1,407
Al-Rumaitha $1,403

Living in Sulaymaniyah is roughly 3% more expensive than in Al-Rumaitha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Al-Rumaitha 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 IQD 6,664

$3.62 IQD 5,465

21.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.08 IQD 30.3K

$23.11 IQD 34.9K

-13.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 IQD 9,090

$7.08 IQD 10.7K

-14.97%

Cappuccino

$2.38 IQD 3,595

$2.33 IQD 3,523

2.15%

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

$0.42 IQD 639

$0.31 IQD 471

35.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 332

$0.19 IQD 286

15.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 IQD 4,910

$2.91 IQD 4,398

11.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,968

$2.60 IQD 3,936

-24.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 IQD 1,659

$0.86 IQD 1,298

27.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 IQD 1,300

$0.78 IQD 1,185

10.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 IQD 2,494

$1.37 IQD 2,063

20.44%

Eggs

$1.48 IQD 2,232

$1.58 IQD 2,392

-6.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.46 IQD 6,743

$4.09 IQD 6,174

9.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.53 IQD 5,334

$3.61 IQD 5,449

-2.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.97 IQD 19.6K

$12.06 IQD 18.2K

7.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 IQD 1,730

$0.92 IQD 1,384

23.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 IQD 1,619

$0.95 IQD 1,428

12.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,524

$0.84 IQD 1,268

20.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 878

$0.66 IQD 1,002

-12.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 739

$0.56 IQD 844

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 892

$0.56 IQD 849

5.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 IQD 950

$0.56 IQD 839

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 IQD 682

$0.47 IQD 717

-4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 IQD 3,021

$1.63 IQD 2,468

22.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 IQD 15.1K

$10.70 IQD 16.2K

-6.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 IQD 2,527

$1.40 IQD 2,120

19.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 IQD 1,899

$1.78 IQD 2,691

-29.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 IQD 769

$0.42 IQD 639

21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 IQD 29.8K

$22.08 IQD 33.4K

-10.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 IQD 2,952

$1.80 IQD 2,724

8.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 IQD 2,925

$1.34 IQD 2,031

44.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 IQD 6,957

$4.81 IQD 7,268

-4.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 857

$0.51 IQD 766

11.76%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

$14.9K IQD 22.6M

17.86%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

-1.62%

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

$87.2 IQD 131.7K

$88.6 IQD 133.9K

-1.63%

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

$10.17 IQD 15.4K

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

-16.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.75 IQD 35.9K

$24.88 IQD 37.6K

-4.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.59 IQD 52.3K

$37.29 IQD 56.3K

-7.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.49 IQD 26.4K

$3.39 IQD 5,120

415.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 IQD 10.1K

$9.20 IQD 13.9K

-27.61%

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

$150 IQD 227.3K

$128 IQD 193.8K

17.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,553 IQD 3.9M

$2,684 IQD 4.1M

-4.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.58 IQD 25.0K

$20.77 IQD 31.4K

-20.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.70 IQD 32.8K

$21.12 IQD 31.9K

2.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.04 IQD 56.0K

$46.80 IQD 70.7K

-20.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.18 IQD 50.1K

$30.79 IQD 46.5K

7.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 283.1K

$178 IQD 269.0K

5.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 IQD 225.8K

$128 IQD 194.1K

16.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$410 IQD 619.7K

$373 IQD 564.1K

9.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 IQD 472.8K

$308 IQD 465.9K

1.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$688 IQD 1.0M

$629 IQD 951.1K

9.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$530 IQD 800.5K

$532 IQD 803.7K

-0.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$487 IQD 735.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.77

3.33

73.27%

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

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Al-Rumaitha: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$163 24.4%

Al-Rumaitha

$154 23.7% 5.1% $8.3

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$149 22.4%

Al-Rumaitha

$128 19.8% 14% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$121 18.1%

Al-Rumaitha

$126 19.3% 3.7% $4.5

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$105 15.7%

Al-Rumaitha

$100 15.4% 4.5% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.3%

Al-Rumaitha

$54 8.3% 10.1% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$48 7.2%

Al-Rumaitha

$56 8.6% 16.2% $7.8

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$33 5%

Al-Rumaitha

$32 5% 3.3% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $187 in Sulaymaniyah and $178 in Al-Rumaitha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20.00 in Sulaymaniyah vs $23.00 in Al-Rumaitha. Groceries flip the comparison at $163 vs $154, with Al-Rumaitha cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Al-Rumaitha

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

Same time as Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

115,431

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Sulaymaniyah Al-Rumaitha 450 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-Rumaitha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Rumaitha is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,002 in Sulaymaniyah and $975 in Al-Rumaitha 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 $178 in Al-Rumaitha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $668 per month in Sulaymaniyah versus $650 in Al-Rumaitha – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Al-Rumaitha runs roughly 12% less than in Sulaymaniyah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Al-Rumaitha 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.

Safety-wise, Sulaymaniyah and Al-Rumaitha are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Al-Rumaitha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Sulaymaniyah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.