How Much Does It Cost to Live In Baghdad?
Depending on what you opt for, when it comes to every aspect of travel – food, restaurants, area you’re renting in, whether you want to indulge in sports or not – can be reasonably cheap, but it can also get quite expensive.
In Baghdad, like everywhere else in Iraq, there is a huge difference between the people and their classes, since there is only a very rich and a very poor layer.
The middle class will probably eventually disappear and melt into either of the other two classes based on their resources.
Iraq : Cost of Living by City
RESTAURANTS
When it comes to restaurants, it could be concluded that the prices in Baghdad aren’t too high, but they’re definitely higher than the average in Iraq. There’s always the option of street food, but if you want to have a meal in one of the restaurants, be ready to pay near 7$ – and that’s in an inexpensive restaurant, too. Mid-range restaurants will cost around 15$ per person.
MARKETS
However, if you choose to make your own food, this is a much cheaper option – and probably a healthier one than eating street food (as delicious as it might be). In most cities of the world, and in Baghdad too, there are supermarkets offer a great range of products, most of them being very affordable, and you’ll know what you’re eating.
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation in Baghdad is mostly affordable, especially if you use public transport. When hiring a taxi, you will need to agree on the fare with the driver before they take you anywhere. Getting around the city by bus is possible, but be warned that they are poorly maintained and crowded.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Don’t expect the utilities in Baghdad to be cheap. You can count on cashing out around 150$ just in order to cover the basic bills, like electricity, heating, cooling and water. This applies to you if you’re living in a normal-sized apartment (we mean around 85m2). 1 min. of prepaid mobile services is 0.13$.
SPORTS & LEISURE
The expensiveness applies to sports and leisure too (except for the fact that sports and leisure are optional for everyone, while bills are not). So, if you want to get in shape in Baghdad count on paying somewhere around 40$. Cinema tickets here are around 9$ per person so watching movies in Baghdad is a rather expensive pastime.
CLOTHING & SHOES
However, shopping for clothes and shoes isn’t that expensive in Baghdad, especially in comparison to other things like utilities and sports and leisure. Quality jeans cost around 35$, and light pieces of clothes like summer dresses and shirts cost less than that. Sneakers of brands like Nike are around 65$.
RENT PER MONTH
In comparison to the utilities, renting an apartment, whether is inside the city center or outside of it – is not expensive either. Of course, the price does depend on the part of the city you want to live in, but either way, it’s less expensive than you’d expect.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Baghdad
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $6.69 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $1.86 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $0.23 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.18 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $1.05 |
| Eggs (12) | $1.86 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $0.56 |
| Monthly Pass | $39.33 |
| Gasoline | $0.43 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $146.39 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.13 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $50.10 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $39.47 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $24.71 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $8.38 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $35.17 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $36.51 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $65.99 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $448.03 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $299.52 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $830.48 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Baghdad?
Money in Baghdad is spent mostly in markets, on food and other necessities.
Apart from that, the biggest part of expenses in Baghdad is rent – which means there are many people out there renting apartments.
Restaurants and transportation also take up an important part in Iraqi people’s expenses, while utilities also have a somewhat considerable rate in this statistics.
Shopping for clothes and shoes is the last on the list, with statistics showing that only 2.8% of all expenses go on clothing.
However, sports and leisure draw a significant amount of money in Baghdad.
Average Costs Breakdown
Baghdad: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
Salaries in Baghdad are relatively higher, which makes sense taking into consideration that the expenses are rather high too.
However, the salaries are nowhere near high enough to cover all the expenses mentioned.
With rent costing around 300$ and utilities being around 150$ a month, there are surely citizens that aren’t able to pay all their expenses and make ends meet.
For instance, those with a minimum monthly wage, which is 209.52 per month, surely have problems paying for necessities.
Mortgage interest rate in this country is also relatively high.
Baghdad Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Baghdad Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: HIGH
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
- MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
- TERRORISM RISK: HIGH
- SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM
Cost of Living by City in Baghdad
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Irbil | 42.51 |
