Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Ba'qubah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ba’qubah: $511 a month against $663 in Sulaymaniyah, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Ba'qubah
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Ba'qubah Living Index

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$663

/mo nomad

Ba'qubah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Ba'qubah

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 Ba'qubah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $663 in Sulaymaniyah versus $511 in Ba’qubah.

Sulaymaniyah $663
Ba'qubah $511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,034 in Sulaymaniyah versus $819 in Ba’qubah.

Sulaymaniyah $1,034
Ba'qubah $819

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,406 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,128 in Ba’qubah.

Sulaymaniyah $1,406
Ba'qubah $1,128

Living in Sulaymaniyah is roughly 30% more expensive than in Ba’qubah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Ba’qubah 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.21 IQD 6,363

$4.16 IQD 6,289

1.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

$13.19 IQD 19.9K

49.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 IQD 8,916

$5.46 IQD 8,250

8.06%

Cappuccino

$2.45 IQD 3,702

$1.03 IQD 1,555

137.86%

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

$0.43 IQD 650

$0.48 IQD 726

-10.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.16 IQD 246

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 IQD 4,873

$1.60 IQD 2,421

101.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 IQD 3,080

$4.04 IQD 6,101

-49.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,677

$0.95 IQD 1,432

16.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 IQD 1,339

$0.52 IQD 780

71.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 IQD 2,516

$0.95 IQD 1,438

74.74%

Eggs

$1.55 IQD 2,345

$1.24 IQD 1,873

25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 IQD 6,509

$1.96 IQD 2,966

119.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 IQD 5,536

$2.11 IQD 3,183

73.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

46.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 IQD 1,680

$0.87 IQD 1,310

27.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 IQD 1,646

$0.96 IQD 1,456

13.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 IQD 1,579

$0.82 IQD 1,237

26.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 843

$0.49 IQD 737

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.52 IQD 791

-5.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 957

$0.60 IQD 901

5.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 883

$0.43 IQD 649

34.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 IQD 685

$0.19 IQD 287

136.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 IQD 3,049

$2.13 IQD 3,216

-5.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

$10.90 IQD 16.5K

-10.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 IQD 2,509

$1.42 IQD 2,153

16.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 IQD 1,896

$1.84 IQD 2,782

-32.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 786

$0.32 IQD 477

62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 IQD 2,904

$1.69 IQD 2,550

13.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 IQD 2,961

$1.56 IQD 2,358

25.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 IQD 6,774

$4.58 IQD 6,926

-2.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 865

$0.29 IQD 431

96.55%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

6.74%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$17.2K IQD 26.0M

-1.55%

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

$85.2 IQD 128.7K

$50.2 IQD 75.9K

69.53%

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

$10.12 IQD 15.3K

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

-16.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

$22.87 IQD 34.6K

5.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.78 IQD 51.0K

$16.35 IQD 24.7K

106.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 IQD 27.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,916

$3.38 IQD 5,107

94.08%

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

$153 IQD 231.1K

$23.01 IQD 34.8K

564.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,546 IQD 3.8M

$550 IQD 831.0K

362.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 IQD 25.3K

$16.83 IQD 25.4K

-0.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$16.36 IQD 24.7K

36.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.83 IQD 55.7K

$59.4 IQD 89.8K

-38.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.01 IQD 49.9K

$23.44 IQD 35.4K

40.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.6K

$205 IQD 309.3K

-8.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 IQD 221.9K

$137 IQD 206.9K

7.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 IQD 632.8K

$381 IQD 576.1K

9.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 IQD 474.4K

$348 IQD 525.6K

-9.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$695 IQD 1.1M

$860 IQD 1.3M

-19.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$489 IQD 738.4K

12.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 IQD 757.3K

$626 IQD 946.4K

-19.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.77

2.53

128.06%

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

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ba'qubah: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$164 24.7%

Ba'qubah

$122 23.9% 25.4% $42

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$147 22.2%

Ba'qubah

$137 26.8% 6.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$119 18%

Ba'qubah

$85 16.7% 28.6% $34

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6%

Ba'qubah

$81 15.8% 22.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4%

Ba'qubah

$52 10.2% 6.6% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1%

Ba'qubah

$23 4.5% 50.7% $24

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5.1%

Ba'qubah

$11 * 2.1% 67.9% $23

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 $205 in Ba’qubah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ba’qubah pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20 in Sulaymaniyah vs $13 in Ba’qubah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $122 per month, with Ba’qubah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Ba'qubah

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

Same time as Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

268,866

💱 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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Sulaymaniyah Ba'qubah 210 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 Ba'qubah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ba’qubah is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Sulaymaniyah. 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: $187 in Sulaymaniyah versus $205 in Ba’qubah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $153 in Sulaymaniyah versus $23 in Ba’qubah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ba’qubah – a meal for two runs $13 versus $20 in Sulaymaniyah. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Ba’qubah 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.