Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Baghdadi

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdadi: $641 a month against $667 in Sulaymaniyah, rent and utilities included – about $310 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
Baghdadi, Iraq
Sulaymaniyah
🇮🇶 Iraq
$667
/mo nomad
Baghdadi
🇮🇶 Iraq
$641
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Baghdadi

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

A single person spends $667 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $641 in Baghdadi, rent included.

  • Sulaymaniyah $667
  • Baghdadi $641

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $978 in Baghdadi, rent included.

  • Sulaymaniyah $1,035
  • Baghdadi $978

A family of three spends $1,403 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $1,316 in Baghdadi, rent included.

  • Sulaymaniyah $1,403
  • Baghdadi $1,316

Sulaymaniyah costs about 4% more than Baghdadi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sulaymaniyah and Baghdadi are more affordable than the global median – Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Baghdadi 53% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sulaymaniyah
Baghdadi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.35 IQD 6,570
$4.02 IQD 6,071
8.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.15 IQD 30.5K
$13.93 IQD 21.1K
44.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.91 IQD 8,935
$6.17 IQD 9,325
-4.21%
Cappuccino
$2.37 IQD 3,580
$1.88 IQD 2,846
26.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 IQD 644
$0.42 IQD 628
2.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.20 IQD 302
$0.18 IQD 274
11.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 IQD 4,890
$3.25 IQD 4,906
-0.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 IQD 3,071
$2.57 IQD 3,890
-21.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sulaymaniyah
Baghdadi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 IQD 1,732
$1.03 IQD 1,553
11.65%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 IQD 1,306
$0.48 IQD 729
79.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 IQD 2,534
$2.75 IQD 4,159
-38.91%
Eggs
$1.53 IQD 2,306
$1.85 IQD 2,790
-17.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.31 IQD 6,514
$3.83 IQD 5,790
12.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.72 IQD 5,627
$3.29 IQD 4,969
13.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.96 IQD 19.6K
$8.24 IQD 12.5K
57.28%
Apples (1kg)
$1.11 IQD 1,684
$0.94 IQD 1,418
18.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.08 IQD 1,631
$1.00 IQD 1,507
8.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.99 IQD 1,496
$0.93 IQD 1,406
6.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.55 IQD 833
$0.68 IQD 1,023
-19.12%
Potato (1kg)
$0.45 IQD 683
$0.60 IQD 902
-25.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.62 IQD 940
$0.67 IQD 1,009
-7.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.58 IQD 881
$0.51 IQD 777
13.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.42 IQD 634
$0.54 IQD 814
-22.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.96 IQD 2,956
$1.70 IQD 2,569
15.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.04 IQD 15.2K
$11.28 IQD 17.0K
-10.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 IQD 2,532
$1.59 IQD 2,401
5.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.23 IQD 1,855
$1.81 IQD 2,740
-32.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Sulaymaniyah
Baghdadi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.47 IQD 705
$0.34 IQD 518
38.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.85 IQD 30.0K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.00 IQD 3,017
$1.80 IQD 2,727
11.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.95 IQD 2,951
$1.29 IQD 1,948
51.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.74 IQD 7,164
$5.64 IQD 8,529
-15.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.57 IQD 864
$0.58 IQD 875
-1.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.6K IQD 26.7M
$16.4K IQD 24.8M
7.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.7K IQD 25.2M
$17.0K IQD 25.6M
-1.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sulaymaniyah
Baghdadi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$86.4 IQD 130.6K
$87.6 IQD 132.3K
-1.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.75 IQD 14.7K
$13.62 IQD 20.6K
-28.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.74 IQD 35.9K
$28.52 IQD 43.1K
-16.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sulaymaniyah
Baghdadi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.60 IQD 52.3K
$36.52 IQD 55.2K
-5.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.82 IQD 26.9K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.43 IQD 9,711
$9.06 IQD 13.7K
-29.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sulaymaniyah
Baghdadi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$150 IQD 226.9K
$143 IQD 216.5K
4.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,562 IQD 3.9M
$2,771 IQD 4.2M
-7.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sulaymaniyah
Baghdadi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$16.49 IQD 24.9K
$21.10 IQD 31.9K
-21.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.41 IQD 33.9K
$22.93 IQD 34.6K
-2.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$36.43 IQD 55.0K
$60.6 IQD 91.6K
-39.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$36.62 IQD 55.3K
$37.63 IQD 56.9K
-2.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sulaymaniyah
Baghdadi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$187 IQD 282.3K
$207 IQD 313.2K
-9.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$150 IQD 225.9K
$136 IQD 205.3K
10.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$412 IQD 621.8K
$382 IQD 576.4K
7.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$308 IQD 464.7K
$313 IQD 472.7K
-1.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$703 IQD 1.1M
$870 IQD 1.3M
-19.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$541 IQD 817.5K
$487 IQD 735.4K
11.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sulaymaniyah
Baghdadi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 IQD 758.7K
$499 IQD 753.6K
0.68%
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: November 3, 2026

Last update for Baghdadi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Sulaymaniyah
$163
Baghdadi
$150 8.1% $13
Accommodation & Living
Sulaymaniyah
$150
Baghdadi
$136 9.1% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sulaymaniyah
$120
Baghdadi
$130 8.1% $9.8
Eating Out
Sulaymaniyah
$104
Baghdadi
$97 6.4% $6.7
Clothing & Footwear
Sulaymaniyah
$50
Baghdadi
$64 27.1% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Sulaymaniyah
$47
Baghdadi
$55 15.2% $7.2
Getting Around
Sulaymaniyah
$33
Baghdadi
$9.6 * 71.3% $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 $207 in Baghdadi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Sulaymaniyah versus $14 in Baghdadi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $163 vs $150 – making Baghdadi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah
🇮🇶 Baghdadi
🕒 Local time
05:00 5:00 AM
05:00 5:00 AM
Same time as Sulaymaniyah
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
823,199
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,689 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sulaymaniyah Baghdadi 330 km
From you
  • Sulaymaniyah
  • Baghdadi

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 Baghdadi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Baghdadi cheaper than Sulaymaniyah?
Yes – Sulaymaniyah is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,001 per month in Sulaymaniyah and $961 in Baghdadi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sulaymaniyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $187 there versus $207 in Baghdadi.
Is eating out cheaper in Sulaymaniyah or in Baghdadi?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Sulaymaniyah and $14 in Baghdadi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Sulaymaniyah and in Baghdadi?
Groceries cost about 9% more in Sulaymaniyah, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 enough for either Sulaymaniyah or Baghdadi?
$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $667 in Sulaymaniyah and $641 in Baghdadi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Sulaymaniyah or in Baghdadi?
It depends on your priorities. Sulaymaniyah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $641 in Baghdadi to $667 in Sulaymaniyah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Sulaymaniyah vs other spots: cost of living compared

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