Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and An Najaf

For one person, living is cheaper in An Najaf: $565 a month against $663 in Sulaymaniyah, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
27

Cost of Living Index in An Najaf
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An Najaf Living Index

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$663

/mo nomad

An Najaf

🇮🇶 Iraq

$565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in An Najaf

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

A single person spends $663 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $565 in An Najaf, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $663
An Najaf $565

A couple spends around $1,034 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $854 in An Najaf, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $1,034
An Najaf $854

A family of three spends $1,406 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $1,143 in An Najaf, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $1,406
An Najaf $1,143

Sulaymaniyah costs about 17% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sulaymaniyah and An Najaf are more affordable than the global median – Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, An Najaf 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.21 IQD 6,363

$3.88 IQD 5,856

8.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

$19.70 IQD 29.8K

0.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 IQD 8,916

$4.32 IQD 6,528

36.57%

Cappuccino

$2.45 IQD 3,702

$2.26 IQD 3,416

8.41%

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

$0.43 IQD 650

$0.39 IQD 582

10.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.22 IQD 333

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 IQD 4,873

$3.26 IQD 4,923

-1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 IQD 3,080

$2.02 IQD 3,055

0.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,677

$0.90 IQD 1,367

23.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 IQD 1,339

$0.68 IQD 1,023

30.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 IQD 2,516

$1.31 IQD 1,972

26.72%

Eggs

$1.55 IQD 2,345

$1.68 IQD 2,542

-7.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 IQD 6,509

$3.28 IQD 4,951

31.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 IQD 5,536

$3.43 IQD 5,187

6.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

$9.56 IQD 14.5K

38.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 IQD 1,680

$0.97 IQD 1,458

14.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 IQD 1,646

$0.91 IQD 1,375

19.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 IQD 1,579

$0.94 IQD 1,425

10.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 843

$0.68 IQD 1,029

-17.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.56 IQD 841

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 957

$0.61 IQD 919

3.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 883

$0.58 IQD 877

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 IQD 685

$0.49 IQD 743

-8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 IQD 3,049

$1.63 IQD 2,462

23.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

$11.93 IQD 18.0K

-18.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 IQD 2,509

$1.93 IQD 2,919

-13.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 IQD 1,896

$1.91 IQD 2,892

-34.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 786

$0.31 IQD 462

67.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 IQD 2,904

$1.31 IQD 1,974

46.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 IQD 2,961

$1.31 IQD 1,975

49.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 IQD 6,774

$5.38 IQD 8,132

-16.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 865

$0.41 IQD 625

39.02%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

$12.1K IQD 18.4M

44.70%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

0.53%

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

$85.2 IQD 128.7K

$34.87 IQD 52.7K

144.25%

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

$10.12 IQD 15.3K

$14.80 IQD 22.4K

-31.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

$33.39 IQD 50.5K

-28.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.78 IQD 51.0K

$25.35 IQD 38.3K

33.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 IQD 27.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,916

$8.44 IQD 12.7K

-22.27%

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

$153 IQD 231.1K

$147 IQD 222.0K

4.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,546 IQD 3.8M

$797 IQD 1.2M

219.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 IQD 25.3K

$15.04 IQD 22.7K

11.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$23.28 IQD 35.2K

-4.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.83 IQD 55.7K

$60.3 IQD 91.2K

-38.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.01 IQD 49.9K

$41.51 IQD 62.7K

-20.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.6K

$234 IQD 353.4K

-20.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 IQD 221.9K

$125 IQD 188.4K

17.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 IQD 632.8K

$311 IQD 469.6K

34.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 IQD 474.4K

$189 IQD 286.0K

65.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$695 IQD 1.1M

$1,097 IQD 1.7M

-36.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$445 IQD 672.6K

23.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 IQD 757.3K

$670 IQD 1.0M

-25.23%

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 An Najaf: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$164 24.7%

An Najaf

$149 26.4% 8.8% $14

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$147 22.2%

An Najaf

$125 22.1% 15.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$119 18%

An Najaf

$83 14.7% 30.4% $36

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6%

An Najaf

$94 16.6% 9.3% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4%

An Najaf

$63 11.2% 28.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1%

An Najaf

$42 7.5% 10% $4.7

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5.1%

An Najaf

$9.1 * 1.6% 73% $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 $234 in An Najaf. 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 34% higher in An Najaf, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Sulaymaniyah versus $20 in An Najaf. Groceries tell a different story – $164 in Sulaymaniyah vs $149 in An Najaf – so An Najaf wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 An Najaf

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

Same time as Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

1,221,248

💱 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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Between locations

Sulaymaniyah An Najaf 410 km

From you

Sulaymaniyah
An Najaf

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 An Najaf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sulaymaniyah costs about 17% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $994 per month in Sulaymaniyah and $848 in An Najaf. 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 $234 in An Najaf.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $663 in Sulaymaniyah and $565 in An Najaf. That’s a gap of about 17%.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Sulaymaniyah, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $663 in Sulaymaniyah and $565 in An Najaf, 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 $565 in An Najaf to $663 in Sulaymaniyah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.