Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $665 a month against $803 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$665

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Colombo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $665 in Sulaymaniyah versus $803 in Colombo.

Sulaymaniyah $665
Colombo $803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,028 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,208 in Colombo.

Sulaymaniyah $1,028
Colombo $1,208

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,391 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,614 in Colombo.

Sulaymaniyah $1,391
Colombo $1,614

Living in Sulaymaniyah costs roughly 17% less than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 IQD 6,572

$3.77 LKR 1,250

15.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.60 IQD 29.6K

$25.25 LKR 8,362

-22.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 IQD 8,957

$7.61 LKR 2,519

-22.08%

Cappuccino

$2.35 IQD 3,553

$2.58 LKR 856

-8.91%

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

$0.39 IQD 589

$0.68 LKR 225

-42.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$0.25 LKR 82.6

-12.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 IQD 4,917

$2.26 LKR 748

43.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 IQD 3,027

$3.00 LKR 995

-33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 IQD 1,688

$1.63 LKR 541

-31.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 IQD 1,250

$0.57 LKR 187

45.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 IQD 2,524

$0.79 LKR 263

111.39%

Eggs

$1.48 IQD 2,238

$1.70 LKR 563

-12.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.53 IQD 6,842

$13.65 LKR 4,522

-66.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 IQD 5,404

$4.84 LKR 1,604

-26.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 IQD 19.7K

$7.62 LKR 2,525

71.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 IQD 1,663

$6.51 LKR 2,156

-83.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 IQD 1,686

$0.85 LKR 283

31.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.05 IQD 1,583

$4.49 LKR 1,487

-76.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 897

$1.34 LKR 443

-55.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 IQD 690

$0.99 LKR 329

-53.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 IQD 942

$0.82 LKR 271

-24.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 965

$0.92 LKR 305

-30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 IQD 646

$0.45 LKR 150

-4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.04 IQD 3,077

$10.17 LKR 3,370

-79.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 IQD 14.5K

$12.69 LKR 4,204

-24.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 IQD 2,537

$1.87 LKR 621

-10.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 IQD 1,925

$2.94 LKR 973

-56.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 780

$0.17 LKR 57.9

205.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.41 IQD 29.3K

$7.01 LKR 2,322

176.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 IQD 3,060

$0.38 LKR 124

434.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 IQD 3,041

$0.37 LKR 124

443.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 IQD 6,820

$0.93 LKR 308

384.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 854

$1.37 LKR 454

-58.39%

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

$17.9K IQD 27.1M

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-58.68%

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

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

-60.28%

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

$86.4 IQD 130.6K

$59.8 LKR 19.8K

44.48%

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

$9.77 IQD 14.8K

$4.36 LKR 1,444

124.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.18 IQD 36.5K

$20.96 LKR 6,942

15.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.41 IQD 50.5K

$14.22 LKR 4,710

134.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.26 IQD 26.1K

$5.65 LKR 1,870

205.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

$4.60 LKR 1,525

46.30%

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

$152 IQD 229.3K

$37.19 LKR 12.3K

308.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,479 IQD 3.7M

$1,224 LKR 405.3K

102.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.44 IQD 24.8K

$18.18 LKR 6,020

-9.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.23 IQD 33.6K

$16.85 LKR 5,580

31.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.34 IQD 56.4K

$77.5 LKR 25.7K

-51.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.57 IQD 50.7K

$41.83 LKR 13.9K

-19.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$185 IQD 278.9K

$567 LKR 187.8K

-67.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 IQD 225.6K

$274 LKR 90.6K

-45.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 IQD 638.5K

$1,506 LKR 498.9K

-71.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 IQD 456.7K

$424 LKR 140.4K

-28.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$707 IQD 1.1M

$3,742 LKR 1.2M

-81.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$536 IQD 810.5K

$1,160 LKR 384.1K

-53.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$488 IQD 737.3K

$253 LKR 83.9K

92.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.77

12.69

-54.53%

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

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 18, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$162 24.4%

Colombo

$237 29.5% 45.7% $74

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$149 22.4%

Colombo

$274 34.1% 83.2% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$120 18.1%

Colombo

$85 10.6% 29.3% $35

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6%

Colombo

$105 13.1% 1.5% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4%

Colombo

$69 8.7% 40.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7%

Colombo

$23 2.9% 50% $23

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5%

Colombo

$10 1.2% 70.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $185 in Sulaymaniyah and $567 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sulaymaniyah pays 93% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20.00 in Sulaymaniyah vs $25.00 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $162 vs $237 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

18:26 6:26 PM

20:56 8:56 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

753,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sulaymaniyah Colombo 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sulaymaniyah
Colombo

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 Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sulaymaniyah wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sulaymaniyah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 93% higher in Sulaymaniyah, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $185 in Sulaymaniyah versus $567 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Colombo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $25.00 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $665 in Sulaymaniyah versus $803 in Colombo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sulaymaniyah but tight or insufficient in Colombo. The gap between the two cities makes Sulaymaniyah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sulaymaniyah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $665 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sulaymaniyah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sulaymaniyah and Colombo 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 21% less than in Colombo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.