Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $773 a month against $1,561 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
Learn more

Sulaymaniyah Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$773

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $773 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,561 in Mexico City.

Sulaymaniyah $773
Mexico City $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,194 in Sulaymaniyah versus $2,440 in Mexico City.

Sulaymaniyah $1,194
Mexico City $2,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,615 in Sulaymaniyah versus $3,319 in Mexico City.

Sulaymaniyah $1,615
Mexico City $3,319

Living in Sulaymaniyah costs roughly 50% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sulaymaniyah is 42% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.07 IQD 7,655

$11.12 MX$202

-54.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

$48.99 MX$891

-53.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

$11.23 MX$204

-37.31%

Cappuccino

$2.88 IQD 4,341

$3.76 MX$68.4

-23.40%

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

$0.50 IQD 759

$1.65 MX$30.05

-69.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 IQD 378

$1.28 MX$23.27

-80.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 IQD 5,939

$3.26 MX$59.2

20.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 IQD 3,424

$5.66 MX$103

-59.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 IQD 1,934

$1.81 MX$32.92

-29.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 IQD 1,518

$2.94 MX$53.5

-65.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 IQD 2,810

$2.05 MX$37.27

-9.27%

Eggs

$1.77 IQD 2,670

$2.93 MX$53.2

-39.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.96 IQD 7,485

$11.95 MX$217

-58.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 IQD 6,377

$9.51 MX$173

-55.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 IQD 23.1K

$14.84 MX$270

3.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 IQD 1,934

$3.14 MX$57.2

-59.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 IQD 1,936

$2.01 MX$36.65

-36.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 IQD 1,736

$2.08 MX$37.75

-44.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,025

$2.22 MX$40.35

-69.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 847

$2.06 MX$37.47

-72.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 IQD 1,095

$1.88 MX$34.14

-61.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 IQD 1,100

$1.48 MX$26.93

-50.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 IQD 751

$1.35 MX$24.47

-62.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 IQD 3,442

$5.41 MX$98.4

-57.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.23 IQD 17.0K

$16.86 MX$307

-33.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 IQD 2,947

$1.98 MX$36.09

-1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 IQD 2,140

$4.32 MX$78.7

-67.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 IQD 901

$0.34 MX$6.27

76.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.68 IQD 34.2K

$20.23 MX$368

12.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 IQD 3,358

$2.10 MX$38.11

5.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 IQD 3,528

$0.53 MX$9.65

341.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 IQD 8,300

$5.41 MX$98.3

1.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 IQD 1,044

$1.52 MX$27.65

-54.61%

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

$20.9K IQD 31.5M

$21.7K MX$395.3K

-3.95%

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

$18.9K IQD 28.6M

$24.8K MX$451.4K

-23.66%

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

$100 IQD 151.6K

$63.0 MX$1,145

59.39%

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

$11.49 IQD 17.4K

$28.88 MX$525

-60.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.04 IQD 42.3K

$33.93 MX$617

-17.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.70 IQD 59.9K

$55.8 MX$1,015

-28.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.09 IQD 30.3K

$24.90 MX$453

-19.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 IQD 11.4K

$6.77 MX$123

11.96%

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

$173 IQD 260.8K

$428 MX$7,781

-59.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,946 IQD 4.4M

$11.9K MX$216.0K

-75.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.91 IQD 28.6K

$70.0 MX$1,274

-73.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.19 IQD 38.0K

$53.7 MX$977

-53.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.24 IQD 65.3K

$110 MX$1,997

-60.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.64 IQD 58.3K

$115 MX$2,096

-66.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 IQD 324.5K

$1,062 MX$19.3K

-79.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 IQD 264.0K

$671 MX$12.2K

-73.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 IQD 743.4K

$2,379 MX$43.3K

-79.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 IQD 548.4K

$1,260 MX$22.9K

-71.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$786 IQD 1.2M

$3,716 MX$67.6K

-78.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$630 IQD 951.7K

$1,976 MX$35.9K

-68.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$584 IQD 881.5K

$997 MX$18.1K

-41.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.77

11.3

-48.94%

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

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$188 24.2%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 73.4% $138

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$175 22.5%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 284% $496

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$140 18%

Mexico City

$126 8% 10.1% $14

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$123 15.9%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 67.8% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$57 7.3%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 177% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$55 7.1%

Mexico City

$69 4.4% 26.4% $14

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$39 5%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 32.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $215 in Sulaymaniyah and $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 71% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Sulaymaniyah vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $327 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

22:41 10:41 PM

9 h behind Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,510 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,694 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sulaymaniyah Mexico City 12,850 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Sulaymaniyah
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sulaymaniyah and Mexico City differ by about 102% in total monthly costs ($773 vs $1,561 including rent). Sulaymaniyah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Mexico City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $215 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sulaymaniyah runs roughly 12% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $173 in Sulaymaniyah versus $428 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $773 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,561 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sulaymaniyah but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Sulaymaniyah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Sulaymaniyah and Mexico City 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 102% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.