Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Iraq

Name: Iraq
Address: IQ

For one person, living is cheaper in Iraq: $725 a month against $2,478 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Iraq
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Iraq Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,478

/mo nomad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Iraq

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,478 in the United Kingdom versus $725 in Iraq.

United Kingdom $2,478
Iraq $725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,608 in the United Kingdom versus $1,095 in Iraq.

United Kingdom $3,608
Iraq $1,095

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,739 in the United Kingdom versus $1,464 in Iraq.

United Kingdom $4,739
Iraq $1,464

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,143 to $4,049, compared to $475–$1,050 in Iraq. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 242% more expensive than in Iraq on average.

The United Kingdom (83% above) and Iraq (46% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.61 £16.21

$3.93 IQD 5,942

449.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.7 £65.8

$19.50 IQD 29.5K

349.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 £8.12

$6.76 IQD 10.2K

60.06%

Cappuccino

$4.77 £3.58

$2.42 IQD 3,659

97.11%

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

$2.64 £1.98

$0.41 IQD 618

543.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$0.18 IQD 267

944.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 £4.94

$3.35 IQD 5,056

96.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 £4.92

$3.36 IQD 5,082

95.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.05 IQD 1,587

56.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 £1.23

$0.74 IQD 1,114

122.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 £1.68

$1.31 IQD 1,979

70.23%

Eggs

$4.06 £3.05

$1.51 IQD 2,277

168.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 £7.23

$4.23 IQD 6,396

127.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.14 £6.86

$3.64 IQD 5,500

151.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.08

$10.95 IQD 16.6K

34.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 £2.19

$0.88 IQD 1,326

231.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.03 IQD 1,557

60.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$0.84 IQD 1,264

233.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 £2.49

$0.56 IQD 849

492.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$0.53 IQD 806

241.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$0.53 IQD 806

194.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$0.57 IQD 860

117.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$0.47 IQD 711

253.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.79 £17.85

$1.66 IQD 2,514

1333.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 £7.85

$10.36 IQD 15.7K

0.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 £2.21

$1.73 IQD 2,607

69.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.54

$1.83 IQD 2,762

85.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 £2.63

$0.32 IQD 480

996.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.3

$21.00 IQD 31.7K

396.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 £4.06

$1.93 IQD 2,912

180.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 £1.80

$1.48 IQD 2,235

62.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.06 £20.30

$5.39 IQD 8,145

402.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$0.53 IQD 805

269.81%

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

$38.7K £29.0K

$16.3K IQD 24.6M

137.54%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

147.31%

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

$323 £242

$99.9 IQD 150.9K

223.43%

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

$18.55 £13.92

$13.69 IQD 20.7K

35.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.14 £31.61

$29.58 IQD 44.7K

42.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 £35.08

$31.11 IQD 47.0K

50.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.95 £13.47

$16.45 IQD 24.9K

9.12%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.39

$7.26 IQD 11.0K

90.77%

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

$1,725 £1,294

$155 IQD 233.8K

1014.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$2,593 IQD 3.9M

771.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.8 £69.6

$18.67 IQD 28.2K

396.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.58 £34.94

$23.03 IQD 34.8K

102.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.5

$50.9 IQD 76.9K

100.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.6

$40.06 IQD 60.5K

154.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 £1,011

$278 IQD 419.5K

385.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 £824

$185 IQD 280.3K

491.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,160 £1,620

$501 IQD 757.3K

330.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 £1,309

$355 IQD 536.7K

391.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,578 £4,184

$1,471 IQD 2.2M

279.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 £3,315

$685 IQD 1.0M

544.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,358 £2,519

$507 IQD 766.6K

561.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

6.32

-15.82%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 20, 2026

Last update for Iraq: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.3%

Iraq

$185 25.6% 83.1% $912

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$384 15.5%

Iraq

$143 19.7% 62.7% $241

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$327 13.2%

Iraq

$107 14.7% 67.4% $220

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$305 12.3%

Iraq

$153 21.1% 49.8% $152

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$155 6.2%

Iraq

$60 8.2% 61.4% $95

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$136 5.5%

Iraq

$32 4.4% 76.7% $104

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$74 3%

Iraq

$46 6.3% 38.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,265 in the United Kingdom, $202 in Iraq. Capital cities: $2,852 in London vs $540 in Baghdad.

National salary averages: $3,250 in the United Kingdom, $489 in Iraq. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 526% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 277% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 300% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 565% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇮🇶 Iraq

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

05:30 5:30 AM

2 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

38,274,618

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

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United Kingdom Iraq 4,090 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Iraq

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

United Kingdom vs Iraq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $725 per month in Iraq and $2,478 in the United Kingdom, there's a 242% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Iraq: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,265 in the United Kingdom and $202 in Iraq. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Iraq, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Iraq wins on affordability; the United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.