Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Kalar

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalar: $500 a month against $663 in Sulaymaniyah, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kalar
Learn more

Kalar Living Index

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$663

/mo nomad

Kalar

🇮🇶 Iraq

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Kalar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $663 in Sulaymaniyah versus $500 in Kalar.

Sulaymaniyah $663
Kalar $500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,034 in Sulaymaniyah versus $745 in Kalar.

Sulaymaniyah $1,034
Kalar $745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,406 in Sulaymaniyah versus $991 in Kalar.

Sulaymaniyah $1,406
Kalar $991

Living in Sulaymaniyah is roughly 33% more expensive than in Kalar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Kalar 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.21 IQD 6,363

$4.18 IQD 6,314

0.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

$10.53 IQD 15.9K

87.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 IQD 8,916

$3.07 IQD 4,646

92.18%

Cappuccino

$2.45 IQD 3,702

$0.85 IQD 1,283

188.24%

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

$0.43 IQD 650

$0.45 IQD 683

-4.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.14 IQD 215

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 IQD 4,873

$5.49 IQD 8,290

-41.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 IQD 3,080

$3.93 IQD 5,939

-48.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,677

$0.92 IQD 1,388

20.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 IQD 1,339

$0.72 IQD 1,091

23.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 IQD 2,516

$1.29 IQD 1,946

28.68%

Eggs

$1.55 IQD 2,345

$1.12 IQD 1,698

38.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 IQD 6,509

$2.90 IQD 4,376

48.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 IQD 5,536

$2.00 IQD 3,020

83.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

$10.87 IQD 16.4K

22.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 IQD 1,680

$0.81 IQD 1,219

37.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 IQD 1,646

$0.97 IQD 1,462

12.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 IQD 1,579

$0.85 IQD 1,286

22.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 843

$0.70 IQD 1,053

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.58 IQD 873

-15.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 957

$0.63 IQD 948

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 883

$0.60 IQD 908

-3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 IQD 685

$0.39 IQD 586

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 IQD 3,049

$2.09 IQD 3,165

-3.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

$10.72 IQD 16.2K

-8.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 IQD 2,509

$1.46 IQD 2,213

13.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 IQD 1,896

$1.86 IQD 2,815

-32.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 786

$0.49 IQD 740

6.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

$26.14 IQD 39.5K

-24.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 IQD 2,904

$1.67 IQD 2,526

14.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 IQD 2,961

$1.55 IQD 2,347

26.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 IQD 6,774

$3.34 IQD 5,039

34.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 865

$0.54 IQD 815

5.56%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

$14.6K IQD 22.1M

20.16%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

3.25%

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

$85.2 IQD 128.7K

$46.19 IQD 69.8K

84.39%

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

$10.12 IQD 15.3K

$11.71 IQD 17.7K

-13.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

$20.88 IQD 31.6K

15.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.78 IQD 51.0K

$16.77 IQD 25.3K

101.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 IQD 27.1K

$32.49 IQD 49.1K

-44.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,916

$6.74 IQD 10.2K

-2.67%

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

$153 IQD 231.1K

$43.60 IQD 65.9K

250.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,546 IQD 3.8M

$1,306 IQD 2.0M

94.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 IQD 25.3K

$10.86 IQD 16.4K

54.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$12.02 IQD 18.2K

85.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.83 IQD 55.7K

$22.98 IQD 34.7K

60.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.01 IQD 49.9K

$28.22 IQD 42.6K

16.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.6K

$151 IQD 228.0K

23.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 IQD 221.9K

$92.5 IQD 139.8K

58.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 IQD 632.8K

$246 IQD 371.6K

70.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 IQD 474.4K

$126 IQD 189.7K

150.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$695 IQD 1.1M

$874 IQD 1.3M

-20.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$392 IQD 591.7K

39.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 IQD 757.3K

$300 IQD 453.4K

67.04%

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 Kalar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$164 24.7%

Kalar

$137 27.4% 16.6% $27

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$147 22.2%

Kalar

$93 18.5% 37% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$119 18%

Kalar

$79 15.8% 34% $41

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6%

Kalar

$91 18.1% 12.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4%

Kalar

$33 6.7% 31.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1%

Kalar

$30 6.1% 35.5% $17

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5.1%

Kalar

$38 7.5% 11.9% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $187 in Sulaymaniyah and $151 in Kalar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sulaymaniyah pays 67% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Sulaymaniyah vs $11 in Kalar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $137 per month, with Kalar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Kalar

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

Same time as Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

250,000

💱 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 Kalar 100 km

From you

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 Kalar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalar is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 67% 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: $187 in Sulaymaniyah versus $151 in Kalar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kalar – a meal for two runs $11 versus $20 in Sulaymaniyah. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $663 per month in Sulaymaniyah versus $500 in Kalar – Kalar is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Kalar 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.

It comes down to priorities – Kalar wins on affordability, Sulaymaniyah on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.