Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Az Zubayr

For one person, living costs are similar in Sulaymaniyah and in Az Zubayr: $663 and $656 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 Az Zubayr
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Az Zubayr Living Index

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$663

/mo nomad

Az Zubayr

🇮🇶 Iraq

$656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Az Zubayr

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 Az Zubayr actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $663 in Sulaymaniyah versus $656 in Az Zubayr.

Sulaymaniyah $663
Az Zubayr $656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,034 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,021 in Az Zubayr.

Sulaymaniyah $1,034
Az Zubayr $1,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,406 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,387 in Az Zubayr.

Sulaymaniyah $1,406
Az Zubayr $1,387

Monthly costs are close between Sulaymaniyah and Az Zubayr; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Az Zubayr 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.21 IQD 6,363

$4.37 IQD 6,602

-3.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

$19.52 IQD 29.5K

1.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 IQD 8,916

$5.58 IQD 8,436

5.73%

Cappuccino

$2.45 IQD 3,702

$2.65 IQD 4,001

-7.55%

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

$0.43 IQD 650

$0.33 IQD 497

30.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.20 IQD 297

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 IQD 4,873

$3.38 IQD 5,107

-4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 IQD 3,080

$2.28 IQD 3,447

-10.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,677

$1.00 IQD 1,513

11.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 IQD 1,339

$0.76 IQD 1,152

17.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 IQD 2,516

$1.59 IQD 2,399

4.40%

Eggs

$1.55 IQD 2,345

$1.46 IQD 2,203

6.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 IQD 6,509

$4.38 IQD 6,621

-1.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 IQD 5,536

$3.43 IQD 5,189

6.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

9.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 IQD 1,680

$1.07 IQD 1,623

3.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 IQD 1,646

$0.99 IQD 1,502

10.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 IQD 1,579

$1.03 IQD 1,561

0.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 843

$0.66 IQD 994

-15.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.57 IQD 855

-14.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 957

$0.67 IQD 1,012

-5.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 883

$0.56 IQD 852

3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 IQD 685

$0.44 IQD 671

2.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 IQD 3,049

$1.47 IQD 2,225

37.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

$11.27 IQD 17.0K

-13.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 IQD 2,509

$1.42 IQD 2,149

16.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 IQD 1,896

$1.62 IQD 2,450

-22.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 786

$0.32 IQD 479

62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 IQD 2,904

$1.68 IQD 2,543

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 IQD 2,961

$1.12 IQD 1,698

75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 IQD 6,774

$5.39 IQD 8,146

-16.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 865

$0.53 IQD 803

7.55%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

$15.9K IQD 24.0M

10.77%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

2.96%

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

$85.2 IQD 128.7K

$94.9 IQD 143.4K

-10.23%

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

$10.12 IQD 15.3K

$11.70 IQD 17.7K

-13.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

$27.28 IQD 41.2K

-11.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.78 IQD 51.0K

$39.31 IQD 59.4K

-14.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 IQD 27.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,916

$7.83 IQD 11.8K

-16.22%

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

$153 IQD 231.1K

$137 IQD 206.7K

11.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,546 IQD 3.8M

$2,772 IQD 4.2M

-8.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 IQD 25.3K

$18.27 IQD 27.6K

-8.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$21.75 IQD 32.9K

2.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.83 IQD 55.7K

$53.7 IQD 81.2K

-31.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.01 IQD 49.9K

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

-15.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.6K

$200 IQD 302.7K

-6.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 IQD 221.9K

$133 IQD 200.3K

10.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 IQD 632.8K

$418 IQD 631.5K

0.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 IQD 474.4K

$315 IQD 476.0K

-0.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$695 IQD 1.1M

$833 IQD 1.3M

-16.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$479 IQD 723.6K

14.45%

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 Az Zubayr: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$164 24.7%

Az Zubayr

$159 24.2% 3.1% $5.1

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$147 22.2%

Az Zubayr

$133 20.2% 9.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$119 18%

Az Zubayr

$134 20.4% 12.2% $15

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6%

Az Zubayr

$107 16.3% 3.4% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4%

Az Zubayr

$60 9.1% 22.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1%

Az Zubayr

$55 8.4% 17.2% $8.1

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5.1%

Az Zubayr

$8.6 * 1.3% 74.4% $25

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 $200 in Az Zubayr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Sulaymaniyah vs $20 in Az Zubayr. Groceries flip the comparison at $164 vs $159, with Az Zubayr cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Az Zubayr

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

Same time as Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

370,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sulaymaniyah Az Zubayr 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sulaymaniyah
Az Zubayr

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 Az Zubayr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $994 in Sulaymaniyah and $983 in Az Zubayr 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 $200 in Az Zubayr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $153 in Sulaymaniyah versus $137 in Az Zubayr. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Sulaymaniyah. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Az Zubayr 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.