Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Minsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $665 a month against $1,029 in Minsk, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
Learn more

Sulaymaniyah Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Minsk
Learn more

Minsk Living Index

Jump to prices

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$665

/mo nomad

Minsk

🇧🇾 Belarus

$1,029

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Minsk

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

A single person spends $665 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $1,029 in Minsk, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $665
Minsk $1,029

A couple spends around $1,028 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $1,668 in Minsk, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $1,028
Minsk $1,668

A family of three spends $1,391 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $2,307 in Minsk, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $1,391
Minsk $2,307

Sulaymaniyah is about 35% cheaper than Minsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Sulaymaniyah and Minsk are more affordable than the global median – Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Minsk 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 IQD 6,572

$9.91 BYN 29.73

-56.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.60 IQD 29.6K

$49.39 BYN 148

-60.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 IQD 8,957

$7.14 BYN 21.41

-16.95%

Cappuccino

$2.35 IQD 3,553

$2.37 BYN 7.10

-0.84%

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

$0.39 IQD 589

$1.04 BYN 3.11

-62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$0.63 BYN 1.89

-65.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 IQD 4,917

$1.70 BYN 5.09

91.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 IQD 3,027

$2.60 BYN 7.81

-23.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 IQD 1,688

$0.98 BYN 2.93

14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 IQD 1,250

$0.68 BYN 2.03

22.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 IQD 2,524

$1.34 BYN 4.03

24.63%

Eggs

$1.48 IQD 2,238

$1.70 BYN 5.11

-12.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.53 IQD 6,842

$7.71 BYN 23.12

-41.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 IQD 5,404

$5.55 BYN 16.66

-35.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 IQD 19.7K

$11.01 BYN 33.03

18.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 IQD 1,663

$1.57 BYN 4.70

-29.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 IQD 1,686

$1.77 BYN 5.30

-36.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.05 IQD 1,583

$2.28 BYN 6.83

-53.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 897

$2.73 BYN 8.18

-78.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 IQD 690

$0.68 BYN 2.04

-32.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 IQD 942

$0.78 BYN 2.35

-20.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 965

$1.46 BYN 4.39

-56.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 IQD 646

$0.61 BYN 1.84

-29.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.04 IQD 3,077

$2.71 BYN 8.12

-24.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 IQD 14.5K

$8.24 BYN 24.72

16.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 IQD 2,537

$1.01 BYN 3.02

66.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 IQD 1,925

$1.97 BYN 5.91

-35.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 780

$0.37 BYN 1.10

40.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.41 IQD 29.3K

$19.48 BYN 58.5

-0.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 IQD 3,060

$1.72 BYN 5.15

18.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 IQD 3,041

$0.48 BYN 1.43

318.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 IQD 6,820

$10.26 BYN 30.77

-56.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 854

$0.95 BYN 2.84

-40.00%

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

$17.9K IQD 27.1M

$21.9K BYN 65.8K

-18.24%

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

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

$23.0K BYN 68.9K

-28.52%

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

$86.4 IQD 130.6K

$62.9 BYN 189

37.45%

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

$9.77 IQD 14.8K

$8.70 BYN 26.09

12.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.18 IQD 36.5K

$13.65 BYN 40.94

77.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.41 IQD 50.5K

$37.61 BYN 113

-11.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.26 IQD 26.1K

$21.42 BYN 64.3

-19.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

$6.00 BYN 17.99

12.17%

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

$152 IQD 229.3K

$415 BYN 1,246

-63.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,479 IQD 3.7M

$24.3K BYN 72.8K

-89.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.44 IQD 24.8K

$51.6 BYN 155

-68.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.23 IQD 33.6K

$44.69 BYN 134

-50.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.34 IQD 56.4K

$111 BYN 333

-66.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.57 IQD 50.7K

$111 BYN 334

-69.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$185 IQD 278.9K

$582 BYN 1,746

-68.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 IQD 225.6K

$380 BYN 1,140

-60.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 IQD 638.5K

$1,058 BYN 3,174

-60.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 IQD 456.7K

$716 BYN 2,149

-57.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$707 IQD 1.1M

$2,566 BYN 7,697

-72.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$536 IQD 810.5K

$1,696 BYN 5,088

-68.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$488 IQD 737.3K

$949 BYN 2,846

-48.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.77

15.93

-63.78%

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

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 18, 2026

Last update for Minsk: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$162 24.4%

Minsk

$196 19.1% 20.7% $34

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$149 22.4%

Minsk

$380 36.9% 154% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$120 18.1%

Minsk

$85 8.3% 29.2% $35

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6%

Minsk

$149 14.5% 44.4% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4%

Minsk

$143 13.9% 191% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7%

Minsk

$50 4.8% 5.8% $2.7

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5%

Minsk

$25 2.4% 25.4% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $185 in Sulaymaniyah versus $582 in Minsk. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 94% higher in Minsk, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Sulaymaniyah versus $49.00 in Minsk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $162 vs $196 – making Sulaymaniyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇧🇾 Minsk

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

Same time as Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

1,992,862 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Belarusian Ruble BYN Br

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

1 BYN = 0.333 USD

1 BYN = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BYN, 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).

Belarusian Ruble exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 3 BYN (1 BYN = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 BYN (1 BYN = 0.297 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sulaymaniyah Minsk 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sulaymaniyah
Minsk

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 Minsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Minsk costs about 55% more than Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $998 per month in Sulaymaniyah and $1,543 in Minsk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sulaymaniyah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Minsk, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Sulaymaniyah and $49.00 in Minsk. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sulaymaniyah, where all-in costs run around $665, than in Minsk at $1,029. In Sulaymaniyah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Minsk it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sulaymaniyah costs $665 versus $1,029 in Minsk. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sulaymaniyah. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Minsk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.