Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $773 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$773

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $773 in Sulaymaniyah versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Sulaymaniyah $773
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,194 in Sulaymaniyah versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Sulaymaniyah $1,194
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,615 in Sulaymaniyah versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Sulaymaniyah $1,615
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Sulaymaniyah costs roughly 71% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sulaymaniyah is 42% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.07 IQD 7,660

$20.22 $20.22

-74.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

$85.0 $85.0

-73.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

$12.35 $12.35

-43.00%

Cappuccino

$2.88 IQD 4,344

$5.47 $5.47

-47.35%

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

$0.50 IQD 759

$3.82 $3.82

-86.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 IQD 378

$2.50 $2.50

-90.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 IQD 5,943

$8.06 $8.06

-51.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 IQD 3,427

$8.99 $8.99

-74.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 IQD 1,935

$1.13 $1.13

13.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 IQD 1,519

$3.78 $3.78

-73.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 IQD 2,812

$3.25 $3.25

-42.77%

Eggs

$1.77 IQD 2,672

$4.14 $4.14

-57.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.96 IQD 7,490

$13.08 $13.08

-62.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 IQD 6,382

$14.31 $14.31

-70.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 IQD 23.1K

$15.96 $15.96

-4.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 IQD 1,935

$4.38 $4.38

-70.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 IQD 1,937

$1.45 $1.45

-11.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 IQD 1,737

$4.54 $4.54

-74.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,025

$4.19 $4.19

-83.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 847

$2.63 $2.63

-78.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 IQD 1,096

$2.36 $2.36

-69.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 IQD 1,101

$1.76 $1.76

-58.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 IQD 752

$2.16 $2.16

-76.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 IQD 3,444

$9.81 $9.81

-76.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.23 IQD 17.0K

$14.72 $14.72

-23.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 IQD 2,949

$2.78 $2.78

-29.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 IQD 2,141

$3.48 $3.48

-59.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 IQD 902

$1.49 $1.49

-59.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.68 IQD 34.3K

$40.51 $40.51

-44.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 IQD 3,361

$2.67 $2.67

-16.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 IQD 3,531

$1.58 $1.58

48.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 IQD 8,306

$35.29 $35.29

-84.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 IQD 1,045

$0.99 $0.99

-30.30%

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

$20.9K IQD 31.5M

$35.8K $35.8K

-41.70%

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

$18.9K IQD 28.6M

$27.2K $27.2K

-30.30%

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

$100 IQD 151.7K

$219 $219

-54.23%

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

$11.49 IQD 17.4K

$58.0 $58.0

-80.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.04 IQD 42.4K

$68.4 $68.4

-58.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.70 IQD 60.0K

$57.9 $57.9

-31.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.09 IQD 30.4K

$14.82 $14.82

35.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 IQD 11.5K

$14.13 $14.13

-46.36%

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

$173 IQD 261.0K

$1,509 $1,509

-88.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,946 IQD 4.5M

$21.5K $21.5K

-86.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.91 IQD 28.6K

$51.7 $51.7

-63.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.19 IQD 38.1K

$44.05 $44.05

-42.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.24 IQD 65.3K

$85.1 $85.1

-49.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.64 IQD 58.4K

$105 $105

-63.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 IQD 324.7K

$1,932 $1,932

-88.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 IQD 264.2K

$1,272 $1,272

-86.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 IQD 743.9K

$3,670 $3,670

-86.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 IQD 548.8K

$2,525 $2,525

-85.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$786 IQD 1.2M

$7,617 $7,617

-89.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$630 IQD 952.4K

$3,199 $3,199

-80.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$584 IQD 882.1K

$5,105 $5,105

-88.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.77

6.79

-15.02%

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

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 5, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$188 24.2%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 114% $214

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$175 22.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 628% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$140 18%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 147% $206

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$123 15.9%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 182% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$57 7.3%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 127% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$55 7.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 57.1% $31

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$39 5%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 46.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $215 in Sulaymaniyah and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 774% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Sulaymaniyah vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $403 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

21:40 9:40 PM

8 h behind Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

974,447

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,695 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sulaymaniyah Austin, TX 11,750 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Sulaymaniyah
Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sulaymaniyah wins on cost – living expenses run 250% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sulaymaniyah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 774% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $215 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $773 per month in Sulaymaniyah versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 250% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sulaymaniyah runs roughly 79% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $773 in Sulaymaniyah versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sulaymaniyah but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Sulaymaniyah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Austin, TX 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 Sulaymaniyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 250% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.