Erbil at a glance
- Erbil ranks 5th of 6 priced cities in Iraq on cost: $760 a month in essentials, 105% above Karbala, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $603 covers that 0.8×.
- 99.4 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at governorate level.
- PM2.5 averages 16.3 µg/m³ a year, 3× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 6 Iraq cities we track, so every row says whether Erbil is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $760 | $579 | 1.31× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $292 | $234 | $58 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $466 | $348 | 1.34× as much |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $85 | $79 | $6 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $181 | $109 | 1.66× as much |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $157 | $125 | 1.26× as much |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $45 | $23 | 1.96× as much |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $603 | $588 | $15 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $433 | $433 | same |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $734 | $619 | $115 |
Single person, USD. Data updated September 8, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Erbil, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $7.64 | $4.69 | 1.63× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $44.29 | $26.73 | 1.66× as much |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $8.40 | $7.25 | $1.15 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $3.74 | $2.51 | 1.49× as much |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $6.11 | $3.82 | 1.60× as much |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $4.58 | $3.05 | 1.50× as much |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $1.05 | $0.42 | 2.53× as much |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.43 | $0.27 | 1.59× as much |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.25 | $1.15 | $0.10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $0.80 | $0.81 | $0.01 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.72 | $1.49 | $0.23 |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.81 | $1.77 | $0.04 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $8.17 | $5.72 | 1.43× as much |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $5.66 | $4.50 | 1.26× as much |
| Apples, 1 kg | $1.12 | $1.06 | $0.06 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.13 | $1.12 | $0.01 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $0.78 | $0.67 | $0.11 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $0.73 | $0.68 | $0.05 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $0.71 | $0.66 | $0.05 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.57 | $0.54 | $0.03 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.57 | $0.57 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $44.65 | $22.91 | 1.95× as much |
| Taxi start | $1.91 | $2.10 | $0.19 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.78 | $1.66 | $0.12 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $0.65 | $0.60 | $0.05 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $129.18 | $94.03 | 1.37× as much |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $28.00 | $36.27 | 1.30× as much |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $13.87 | $18.32 | 1.32× as much |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $65.84 | $36.27 | 1.82× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $11.45 | $8.60 | 1.33× as much |
Dating-age sex ratio
Erbil has 99.4 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (governorate level). That is the 7th-highest of 8 Iraq cities we track. Iraq's national figure is 103, so Erbil runs 4 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Erbil ranks against every city we track
Erbil sits ahead of 74% of the 1022 cities we track on safety. On city-centre rent it is ahead of 64% of 1009. Its weakest measure is clean air, ahead of only 28% of 1069.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Erbil sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Put Erbil on the board
Ratio, cost and visa for Erbil beside every other city we measure. Free, no sign-in.
Open Erbil in the research deskOr unlock the Iraq deep-dive: visa, tax, scams, and the sub-national map.
Photo: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Data updated