Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Mashhad, Iraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $667 a month against $756 in Mashhad, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mashhad outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$667

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Mashhad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $667 in Sulaymaniyah versus $756 in Mashhad.

Sulaymaniyah $667
Mashhad $756

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,035 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,119 in Mashhad.

Sulaymaniyah $1,035
Mashhad $1,119

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,403 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,481 in Mashhad.

Sulaymaniyah $1,403
Mashhad $1,481

Living in Sulaymaniyah costs roughly 12% less than in Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Mashhad 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 IQD 6,570

$4.49 IQD 6,781

-3.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.15 IQD 30.5K

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

-24.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 IQD 8,935

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

-12.18%

Cappuccino

$2.37 IQD 3,580

$2.71 IQD 4,100

-12.55%

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

$0.43 IQD 644

$0.36 IQD 542

19.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 IQD 4,890

$3.37 IQD 5,090

-3.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 IQD 3,071

$3.39 IQD 5,126

-40.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 IQD 1,732

$0.91 IQD 1,368

26.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 IQD 1,306

$0.73 IQD 1,106

17.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 IQD 2,534

$1.32 IQD 1,997

27.27%

Eggs

$1.53 IQD 2,306

$0.82 IQD 1,242

86.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 IQD 6,514

$3.41 IQD 5,157

26.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.72 IQD 5,627

$1.98 IQD 2,985

87.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 IQD 19.6K

$2.95 IQD 4,463

339.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 IQD 1,684

$1.03 IQD 1,556

7.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 IQD 1,631

$0.91 IQD 1,377

18.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,496

$0.87 IQD 1,321

13.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 833

$0.64 IQD 971

-14.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.45 IQD 683

$0.59 IQD 898

-23.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 IQD 940

$0.56 IQD 840

10.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 881

$0.31 IQD 474

87.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 IQD 634

$0.21 IQD 321

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 IQD 2,956

$0.77 IQD 1,168

154.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 IQD 15.2K

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

-15.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 IQD 2,532

$1.92 IQD 2,898

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 IQD 1,855

$1.87 IQD 2,832

-34.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 IQD 705

$0.34 IQD 520

38.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 IQD 30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 IQD 3,017

$1.96 IQD 2,965

2.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 IQD 2,951

$1.31 IQD 1,972

48.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 IQD 7,164

$6.42 IQD 9,699

-26.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 864

$0.54 IQD 810

5.56%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.7M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

5.05%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

0.88%

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

$86.4 IQD 130.6K

$191 IQD 288.5K

-54.74%

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

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

-49.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.74 IQD 35.9K

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

-38.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.60 IQD 52.3K

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

-5.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 IQD 26.9K

Cinema Ticket

$6.43 IQD 9,711

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

-33.64%

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

$150 IQD 226.9K

$143 IQD 215.6K

5.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,562 IQD 3.9M

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

-19.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.49 IQD 24.9K

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

-35.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.41 IQD 33.9K

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

-34.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.43 IQD 55.0K

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

-37.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.62 IQD 55.3K

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

-13.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.3K

$212 IQD 319.9K

-11.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 IQD 225.9K

$139 IQD 210.6K

7.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 IQD 621.8K

$378 IQD 571.7K

8.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 IQD 464.7K

$319 IQD 482.6K

-3.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$703 IQD 1.1M

$862 IQD 1.3M

-18.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$541 IQD 817.5K

$491 IQD 742.5K

10.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 IQD 758.7K

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 Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$163 24.4%

Mashhad

$115 15.2% 29.5% $48

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$150 22.4%

Mashhad

$139 18.4% 6.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$120 18%

Mashhad

$249 32.9% 108% $129

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.5%

Mashhad

$115 15.1% 10.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$50 7.6%

Mashhad

$72 9.6% 43.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1%

Mashhad

$56 7.4% 18.4% $8.7

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$33 5%

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3% 70.5% $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 $212 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Sulaymaniyah vs $27 in Mashhad. Groceries flip the comparison at $163 vs $115, with Mashhad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

13:43 1:43 PM

Same time as Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

13,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Sulaymaniyah Mashhad 350 km

From you

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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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $667 in Sulaymaniyah and $756 in Mashhad, so Sulaymaniyah is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,001 in Sulaymaniyah and $1,134 in Mashhad 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 $212 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $150 in Sulaymaniyah versus $143 in Mashhad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah – a meal for two runs $20 versus $27 in Mashhad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Sulaymaniyah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Safety-wise, Sulaymaniyah and Mashhad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.