Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Halabjah

For one person, living is cheaper in Halabjah: $634 a month against $663 in Sulaymaniyah, rent and utilities included – about $350 less a year. The total is higher in Sulaymaniyah despite lower rent and utilities.

32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Halabjah
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Halabjah Living Index

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$663

/mo nomad

Halabjah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Halabjah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $663 in Sulaymaniyah versus $634 in Halabjah.

Sulaymaniyah $663
Halabjah $634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,034 in Sulaymaniyah versus $962 in Halabjah.

Sulaymaniyah $1,034
Halabjah $962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,406 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,291 in Halabjah.

Sulaymaniyah $1,406
Halabjah $1,291

Living in Sulaymaniyah is roughly 5% more expensive than in Halabjah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Halabjah 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.21 IQD 6,358

$3.24 IQD 4,892

29.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

$16.71 IQD 25.2K

18.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 IQD 8,910

$6.77 IQD 10.2K

-12.85%

Cappuccino

$2.45 IQD 3,699

$1.68 IQD 2,541

45.83%

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

$0.43 IQD 650

$0.35 IQD 535

22.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.22 IQD 333

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 IQD 4,869

$2.28 IQD 3,443

41.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 IQD 3,078

$3.27 IQD 4,935

-37.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,676

$0.51 IQD 769

117.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 IQD 1,338

$0.69 IQD 1,046

28.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 IQD 2,514

$1.31 IQD 1,972

26.72%

Eggs

$1.55 IQD 2,344

$1.34 IQD 2,026

15.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 IQD 6,505

$3.29 IQD 4,974

31.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 IQD 5,532

$1.69 IQD 2,547

116.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 IQD 20.0K

$8.54 IQD 12.9K

55.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 IQD 1,679

$0.68 IQD 1,031

63.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 IQD 1,645

$0.96 IQD 1,449

13.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 IQD 1,578

$0.69 IQD 1,039

50.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 843

$0.69 IQD 1,035

-18.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.55 IQD 834

-10.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 956

$0.59 IQD 895

6.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 883

$0.55 IQD 831

5.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 IQD 685

$0.57 IQD 866

-21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 IQD 3,047

$1.63 IQD 2,454

23.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

-16.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 IQD 2,507

$1.66 IQD 2,508

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 IQD 1,895

$0.84 IQD 1,270

48.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 786

$0.32 IQD 482

62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 IQD 2,903

$1.35 IQD 2,040

42.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 IQD 2,959

$1.30 IQD 1,967

50.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 IQD 6,769

$2.02 IQD 3,049

121.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 865

$0.58 IQD 880

-1.72%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.5M

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

8.23%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$8,168 IQD 12.3M

107.60%

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

$85.2 IQD 128.6K

$132 IQD 199.0K

-35.39%

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

$10.12 IQD 15.3K

$9.67 IQD 14.6K

4.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

$25.32 IQD 38.2K

-5.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.78 IQD 51.0K

$37.13 IQD 56.1K

-9.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 IQD 27.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,909

$10.17 IQD 15.3K

-35.50%

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

$153 IQD 230.9K

$144 IQD 217.2K

6.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,546 IQD 3.8M

$3,251 IQD 4.9M

-21.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 IQD 25.3K

$6.72 IQD 10.1K

149.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.28 IQD 33.6K

$34.06 IQD 51.4K

-34.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.83 IQD 55.6K

$59.6 IQD 90.0K

-38.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.01 IQD 49.8K

$41.04 IQD 62.0K

-19.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.4K

$186 IQD 281.6K

0.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 IQD 221.8K

$123 IQD 185.4K

19.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 IQD 632.4K

$363 IQD 547.7K

15.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 IQD 474.1K

$311 IQD 469.7K

0.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$695 IQD 1.0M

$840 IQD 1.3M

-17.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$548 IQD 827.6K

$446 IQD 674.1K

22.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 IQD 756.8K

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 Halabjah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$164 24.7%

Halabjah

$127 20.1% 22.4% $37

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$147 22.2%

Halabjah

$123 19.4% 16.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$119 18%

Halabjah

$167 26.3% 39.8% $47

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6%

Halabjah

$87 13.7% 16.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4%

Halabjah

$64 10% 29.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1%

Halabjah

$57 9.1% 22.5% $11

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5.1%

Halabjah

$9.1 * 1.4% 72.7% $24

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 $186 in Halabjah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Sulaymaniyah vs $17 in Halabjah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $127 per month, with Halabjah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Halabjah

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

Same time as Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

💱 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 Halabjah 58 km

From you

Sulaymaniyah
Halabjah

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 Halabjah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $663 in Sulaymaniyah and $634 in Halabjah, so Halabjah is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $994 in Sulaymaniyah and $950 in Halabjah 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 $186 in Halabjah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $153 in Sulaymaniyah versus $144 in Halabjah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Halabjah – a meal for two runs $17 versus $20 in Sulaymaniyah. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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