Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tikrit and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Tikrit: $646 a month against $664 in Basra, rent and utilities included – about $220 less a year. The total is higher in Basra despite lower rent and utilities.

32

Cost of Living Index in Tikrit
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Tikrit Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index

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Tikrit

🇮🇶 Iraq

$646

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$664

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tikrit and in Basra

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tikrit and in Basra actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $646 in Tikrit versus $664 in Basra.

Tikrit $646
Basra $664

Estimated couple costs with rent: $997 in Tikrit versus $1,194 in Basra.

Tikrit $997
Basra $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,349 in Tikrit versus $1,725 in Basra.

Tikrit $1,349
Basra $1,725

Living in Tikrit costs roughly 3% less than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tikrit 53% lower, Basra 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.21 IQD 6,365

$3.88 IQD 5,859

8.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.27 IQD 30.6K

$26.91 IQD 40.7K

-24.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 IQD 9,850

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

-2.69%

Cappuccino

$2.66 IQD 4,019

$2.29 IQD 3,462

16.16%

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

$0.34 IQD 511

$0.38 IQD 568

-10.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 IQD 352

$0.30 IQD 458

-23.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 IQD 4,755

$3.28 IQD 4,951

-3.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 IQD 3,762

$3.67 IQD 5,541

-32.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 IQD 1,719

$0.99 IQD 1,502

15.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 IQD 905

$0.61 IQD 920

-1.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,992

$1.21 IQD 1,833

9.09%

Eggs

$1.56 IQD 2,353

$1.60 IQD 2,417

-2.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.21 IQD 6,361

$6.32 IQD 9,552

-33.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.67 IQD 5,544

$5.40 IQD 8,161

-32.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 IQD 15.5K

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

-15.51%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 IQD 1,479

$0.84 IQD 1,265

16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 IQD 1,588

$1.18 IQD 1,784

-11.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 IQD 1,306

$0.85 IQD 1,285

1.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.62 IQD 935

$0.55 IQD 834

12.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 987

$0.64 IQD 960

1.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 IQD 803

$0.54 IQD 813

-1.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 IQD 844

$0.80 IQD 1,211

-30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 IQD 831

$0.34 IQD 512

61.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.64 IQD 2,485

$1.80 IQD 2,725

-8.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.59 IQD 16.0K

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

-5.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 IQD 2,404

$1.58 IQD 2,383

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 IQD 2,403

$1.82 IQD 2,755

-12.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 IQD 552

$0.52 IQD 789

-28.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 IQD 24.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 IQD 2,830

$1.93 IQD 2,923

-3.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 IQD 1,901

$1.95 IQD 2,948

-35.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 IQD 7,523

$6.34 IQD 9,576

-21.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 IQD 819

$0.56 IQD 841

-3.57%

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

$15.6K IQD 23.6M

$11.4K IQD 17.3M

36.84%

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

$18.1K IQD 27.3M

$19.6K IQD 29.7M

-8.07%

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

$89.4 IQD 135.0K

$43.92 IQD 66.4K

103.48%

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

$14.36 IQD 21.7K

$22.28 IQD 33.7K

-35.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.25 IQD 44.2K

$33.60 IQD 50.8K

-12.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 IQD 47.4K

$31.84 IQD 48.1K

-1.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 IQD 18.1K

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 IQD 15.2K

$6.56 IQD 9,906

53.81%

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

$129 IQD 194.8K

$109 IQD 165.2K

17.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,947 IQD 4.5M

$3,237 IQD 4.9M

-8.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.87 IQD 33.0K

$43.57 IQD 65.8K

-49.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.35 IQD 30.7K

$17.35 IQD 26.2K

17.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.3 IQD 77.5K

$68.7 IQD 103.8K

-25.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.33 IQD 57.9K

$35.89 IQD 54.2K

6.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$183 IQD 276.0K

$405 IQD 611.7K

-54.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 IQD 198.5K

$138 IQD 208.3K

-4.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 IQD 601.7K

$369 IQD 558.1K

7.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 IQD 441.4K

$548 IQD 828.2K

-46.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$958 IQD 1.4M

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

-31.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$543 IQD 820.3K

$707 IQD 1.1M

-23.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$302 IQD 457.0K

$667 IQD 1.0M

-54.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

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

Last update for Tikrit: October 27, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tikrit

$152 23.6%

Basra

$171 25.8% 12.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tikrit

$133 20.6%

Basra

$100 15% 25% $33

Accommodation & Living

Tikrit

$131 20.4%

Basra

$138 20.8% 4.9% $6.5

Eating Out

Tikrit

$108 16.8%

Basra

$105 15.8% 2.9% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Tikrit

$59 9.2%

Basra

$74 11.2% 25.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Tikrit

$52 8%

Basra

$45 6.8% 12.8% $6.6

Getting Around

Tikrit

$9.6 * 1.5%

Basra

$30 4.6% 214% $21

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 $183 in Tikrit and $405 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basra pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Tikrit vs $27 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $152 vs $171 per month, with Tikrit cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Tikrit

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

Same time as Tikrit

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,000

2,150,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tikrit Basra 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tikrit
Basra

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

Tikrit vs Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $646 in Tikrit and $664 in Basra, so Tikrit is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Tikrit. 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: $183 in Tikrit versus $405 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $129 in Tikrit versus $109 in Basra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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

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