Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Zakho

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $663 a month against $725 in Zakho, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
Learn more

Sulaymaniyah Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Zakho
Learn more

Zakho Living Index

Jump to prices

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$663

/mo nomad

Zakho

🇮🇶 Iraq

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Zakho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $663 in Sulaymaniyah versus $725 in Zakho.

Sulaymaniyah $663
Zakho $725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,034 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,158 in Zakho.

Sulaymaniyah $1,034
Zakho $1,158

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,406 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,591 in Zakho.

Sulaymaniyah $1,406
Zakho $1,591

Living in Sulaymaniyah costs roughly 8% less than in Zakho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Zakho 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.21 IQD 6,363

$4.18 IQD 6,310

0.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.75 IQD 29.8K

$36.97 IQD 55.9K

-46.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 IQD 8,916

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

-17.37%

Cappuccino

$2.45 IQD 3,702

$3.21 IQD 4,856

-23.68%

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

$0.43 IQD 650

$0.83 IQD 1,256

-48.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.33 IQD 506

-39.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 IQD 4,873

$5.65 IQD 8,535

-43.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 IQD 3,080

$3.94 IQD 5,960

-48.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,677

$1.10 IQD 1,669

0.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 IQD 1,339

$0.68 IQD 1,023

30.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 IQD 2,516

$1.50 IQD 2,271

10.67%

Eggs

$1.55 IQD 2,345

$1.58 IQD 2,382

-1.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 IQD 6,509

$6.88 IQD 10.4K

-37.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 IQD 5,536

$4.26 IQD 6,440

-14.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 IQD 20.1K

$12.69 IQD 19.2K

4.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 IQD 1,680

$0.98 IQD 1,484

13.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 IQD 1,646

$0.94 IQD 1,414

15.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 IQD 1,579

$1.02 IQD 1,536

1.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 843

$0.65 IQD 986

-13.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 740

$0.61 IQD 920

-19.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 957

$0.59 IQD 895

6.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 883

$0.61 IQD 926

-4.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 IQD 685

$0.51 IQD 775

-11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 IQD 3,049

$2.18 IQD 3,300

-7.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

-9.63%

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

$1.81 IQD 2,737

-30.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 IQD 786

$0.29 IQD 439

79.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.74 IQD 29.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 IQD 2,904

$1.68 IQD 2,546

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 IQD 2,961

$1.61 IQD 2,440

21.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 IQD 6,774

$5.65 IQD 8,531

-20.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 865

$0.59 IQD 886

-3.39%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

6.75%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

$17.1K IQD 25.8M

-0.74%

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

$85.2 IQD 128.7K

$115 IQD 173.5K

-25.82%

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

$10.12 IQD 15.3K

$12.27 IQD 18.5K

-17.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

$24.28 IQD 36.7K

-1.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.78 IQD 51.0K

$39.56 IQD 59.8K

-14.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 IQD 27.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 IQD 9,916

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

-32.72%

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

$153 IQD 231.1K

$298 IQD 450.7K

-48.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,546 IQD 3.8M

$2,742 IQD 4.1M

-7.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 IQD 25.3K

$26.56 IQD 40.1K

-36.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

$19.78 IQD 29.9K

12.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.83 IQD 55.7K

$49.59 IQD 74.9K

-25.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.01 IQD 49.9K

$39.81 IQD 60.1K

-17.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.6K

$207 IQD 313.3K

-9.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 IQD 221.9K

$136 IQD 205.0K

8.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 IQD 632.8K

$370 IQD 558.5K

13.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 IQD 474.4K

$319 IQD 482.7K

-1.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$695 IQD 1.1M

$888 IQD 1.3M

-21.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$548 IQD 828.2K

$551 IQD 833.0K

-0.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 IQD 757.3K

$660 IQD 997.8K

-24.10%

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 Zakho: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$164 24.7%

Zakho

$172 23.8% 5.1% $8.4

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$147 22.2%

Zakho

$136 18.7% 7.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$119 18%

Zakho

$151 20.9% 26.9% $32

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6%

Zakho

$134 18.5% 29.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4%

Zakho

$61 8.4% 24.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1%

Zakho

$59 8.2% 25.9% $12

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5.1%

Zakho

$11 * 1.5% 67.4% $23

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 $207 in Zakho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zakho pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Sulaymaniyah vs $37 in Zakho for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $172 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Zakho

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

Same time as Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

197,163

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sulaymaniyah Zakho 300 km

From you

Sulaymaniyah
Zakho

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 Zakho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sulaymaniyah is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Sulaymaniyah. 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: $187 in Sulaymaniyah versus $207 in Zakho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $153 in Sulaymaniyah versus $298 in Zakho. 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 $37 in Zakho. 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.

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 Zakho are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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