Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $668 a month against $1,001 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index

Jump to prices

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$668

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Baghdad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $668 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,001 in Baghdad.

Sulaymaniyah $668
Baghdad $1,001

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,038 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,472 in Baghdad.

Sulaymaniyah $1,038
Baghdad $1,472

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,407 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,943 in Baghdad.

Sulaymaniyah $1,407
Baghdad $1,943

Living in Sulaymaniyah costs roughly 33% less than in Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Baghdad 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 IQD 6,664

$4.27 IQD 6,445

3.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.08 IQD 30.3K

$29.18 IQD 44.1K

-31.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 IQD 9,090

$6.77 IQD 10.2K

-11.08%

Cappuccino

$2.38 IQD 3,595

$2.65 IQD 4,003

-10.19%

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

$0.42 IQD 639

$0.35 IQD 530

20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 332

$0.20 IQD 302

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 IQD 4,910

$3.26 IQD 4,927

-0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,968

$3.22 IQD 4,868

-39.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 IQD 1,659

$0.97 IQD 1,466

13.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 IQD 1,300

$0.73 IQD 1,097

17.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 IQD 2,494

$1.33 IQD 2,003

24.06%

Eggs

$1.48 IQD 2,232

$1.68 IQD 2,534

-11.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.46 IQD 6,743

$3.25 IQD 4,912

37.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.53 IQD 5,334

$4.10 IQD 6,192

-13.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.97 IQD 19.6K

$12.41 IQD 18.8K

4.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 IQD 1,730

$1.01 IQD 1,523

12.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 IQD 1,619

$0.98 IQD 1,487

9.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,524

$0.96 IQD 1,444

5.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 878

$0.69 IQD 1,045

-15.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 739

$0.56 IQD 842

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 892

$0.57 IQD 855

3.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 IQD 950

$0.53 IQD 806

18.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 IQD 682

$0.62 IQD 943

-27.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 IQD 3,021

$1.68 IQD 2,534

19.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 IQD 15.1K

$11.61 IQD 17.5K

-13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 IQD 2,527

$1.89 IQD 2,863

-11.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 IQD 1,899

$1.90 IQD 2,876

-33.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 IQD 769

$0.57 IQD 858

-10.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 IQD 29.8K

$20.12 IQD 30.4K

-1.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 IQD 2,952

$2.01 IQD 3,038

-2.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 IQD 2,925

$1.34 IQD 2,029

44.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 IQD 6,957

$6.54 IQD 9,887

-29.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 857

$0.54 IQD 810

5.56%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

$16.3K IQD 24.6M

7.99%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

0.13%

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

$87.2 IQD 131.7K

$189 IQD 285.6K

-53.88%

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

$10.17 IQD 15.4K

$17.44 IQD 26.4K

-41.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.75 IQD 35.9K

$36.40 IQD 55.0K

-34.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.59 IQD 52.3K

$41.49 IQD 62.7K

-16.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.49 IQD 26.4K

$18.51 IQD 28.0K

-5.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 IQD 10.1K

$9.64 IQD 14.6K

-30.91%

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

$150 IQD 227.3K

$145 IQD 218.9K

3.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,553 IQD 3.9M

$3,046 IQD 4.6M

-16.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.58 IQD 25.0K

$24.78 IQD 37.4K

-33.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.70 IQD 32.8K

$28.66 IQD 43.3K

-24.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.04 IQD 56.0K

$59.8 IQD 90.4K

-38.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.18 IQD 50.1K

$41.64 IQD 62.9K

-20.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 283.1K

$513 IQD 774.7K

-63.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 IQD 225.8K

$322 IQD 485.8K

-53.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$410 IQD 619.7K

$881 IQD 1.3M

-53.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 IQD 472.8K

$595 IQD 899.0K

-47.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$688 IQD 1.0M

$4,336 IQD 6.6M

-84.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$530 IQD 800.5K

$1,443 IQD 2.2M

-63.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$487 IQD 735.7K

$499 IQD 753.9K

-2.41%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Baghdad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$163 24.4%

Baghdad

$164 16.4% 0.6% $1

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$149 22.4%

Baghdad

$322 32.1% 115% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$121 18.1%

Baghdad

$243 24.3% 101% $122

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$105 15.7%

Baghdad

$111 11.1% 6.3% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.3%

Baghdad

$70 7% 42.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$48 7.2%

Baghdad

$61 6.1% 26.9% $13

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$33 5%

Baghdad

$31 3.1% 6.9% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $187 in Sulaymaniyah and $513 in Baghdad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baghdad pays 2% 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: $20.00 in Sulaymaniyah vs $29.00 in Baghdad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $163 vs $164 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

19:52 7:52 PM

Same time as Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

7,216,040 Capital

💱 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 Baghdad 270 km

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Sulaymaniyah
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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 Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sulaymaniyah wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Baghdad. 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 2% lower in Baghdad. 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 $513 in Baghdad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sulaymaniyah runs roughly 2% less than in Baghdad. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $150 in Sulaymaniyah versus $145 in Baghdad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $668 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,001 in Baghdad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sulaymaniyah but tight or insufficient in Baghdad. 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 Baghdad 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 50% less than in Baghdad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.