Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Oral

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $663 a month against $723 in Oral, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oral outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$663

/mo nomad

Oral

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Oral

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

A single person spends $663 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $723 in Oral, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $663
Oral $723

A couple spends around $1,034 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $1,099 in Oral, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $1,034
Oral $1,099

A family of three spends $1,406 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $1,476 in Oral, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $1,406
Oral $1,476

Sulaymaniyah is about 8% cheaper than Oral, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sulaymaniyah and Oral are more affordable than the global median – Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Oral 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.21 IQD 6,363

$8.30 ₸3,763

-49.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

$33.73 ₸15.3K

-41.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 IQD 8,916

$8.12 ₸3,684

-27.34%

Cappuccino

$2.45 IQD 3,702

$1.85 ₸839

32.43%

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

$0.43 IQD 650

$0.97 ₸441

-55.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.59 ₸267

-66.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 IQD 4,873

$0.87 ₸393

270.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 IQD 3,080

$2.06 ₸934

-0.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,677

$1.46 ₸660

-23.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 IQD 1,339

$0.47 ₸213

89.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 IQD 2,516

$1.69 ₸768

-1.78%

Eggs

$1.55 IQD 2,345

$1.44 ₸651

7.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 IQD 6,509

$8.92 ₸4,043

-51.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 IQD 5,536

$4.39 ₸1,992

-16.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

$11.31 ₸5,128

17.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 IQD 1,680

$1.25 ₸566

-11.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 IQD 1,646

$2.03 ₸919

-46.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 IQD 1,579

$2.38 ₸1,078

-56.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 843

$3.24 ₸1,469

-82.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.42 ₸190

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 957

$0.32 ₸147

96.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 883

$0.71 ₸322

-18.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 IQD 685

$1.14 ₸515

-60.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 IQD 3,049

$2.20 ₸996

-8.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

$7.72 ₸3,502

26.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 IQD 2,509

$0.65 ₸296

155.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 IQD 1,896

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 786

$0.23 ₸105

126.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 IQD 2,904

$0.65 ₸295

195.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 IQD 2,961

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 IQD 6,774

$5.47 ₸2,481

-18.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 865

$0.62 ₸282

-8.06%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$30.5K ₸13.8M

-44.35%

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

$85.2 IQD 128.7K

$83.8 ₸38.0K

1.70%

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

$10.12 IQD 15.3K

$8.66 ₸3,929

16.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

$14.61 ₸6,626

64.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.78 IQD 51.0K

$55.5 ₸25.2K

-39.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 IQD 27.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,916

$3.41 ₸1,546

92.38%

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

$153 IQD 231.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,546 IQD 3.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 IQD 25.3K

$33.17 ₸15.0K

-49.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.83 IQD 55.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.01 IQD 49.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.6K

$281 ₸127.2K

-33.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 IQD 221.9K

$213 ₸96.8K

-31.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 IQD 632.8K

$449 ₸203.7K

-6.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 IQD 474.4K

$317 ₸143.6K

-0.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$695 IQD 1.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$548 IQD 828.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 IQD 757.3K

$439 ₸199.3K

14.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.77

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

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Oral: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$164 24.7%

Oral

–

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$147 22.2%

Oral

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$119 18%

Oral

–

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6%

Oral

–

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4%

Oral

–

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1%

Oral

–

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5.1%

Oral

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $187 in Sulaymaniyah versus $281 in Oral. 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 14% higher in Sulaymaniyah, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Sulaymaniyah versus $34 in Oral. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $164 vs $196 – making Sulaymaniyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇰🇿 Oral

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

2 h ahead of Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

256,960

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 454 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sulaymaniyah Oral 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sulaymaniyah
Oral

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 Oral: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Oral is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $994 per month in Sulaymaniyah and $1,084 in Oral. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $187 there versus $281 in Oral.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Oral, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Sulaymaniyah and $34 in Oral. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $663 in Sulaymaniyah and $723 in Oral, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.