Cost of living comparison
Belgium is 3.3 times more expensive than Iraq.
If you lived in Belgium instead of Iraq, you would:
pay 5.9 times more for restaurants
|
Iraq
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.64
IQD6,102
|
$19.07
€18.09
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.72
IQD8,832
|
$10.84
€10.28
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.42
IQD547
|
$2.78
€2.63
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.22
IQD293
|
$2.46
€2.33
|
|
pay 2.4 times more for groceries
|
Iraq
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.82
IQD1,071
|
$2.28
€2.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$2.51
IQD3,301
|
$6.70
€6.35
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.56
IQD5,992
|
$4.44
€4.21
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.76
IQD2,318
|
$3.43
€3.25
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.21
IQD2,901
|
$4.78
€4.53
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.48
IQD632
|
$1.11
€1.05
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.52
IQD679
|
$0.89
€0.85
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.44
IQD583
|
$1.07
€1.02
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.30
IQD400
|
$1.16
€1.10
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.28
IQD364
|
$0.83
€0.79
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.28
IQD369
|
$0.73
€0.69
|
|
pay 2.0 times more for transportation
|
Iraq
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$1.93
IQD2,530
|
$6.91
€6.56
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$39.46
IQD51,854
|
$45.41
€43.07
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$16,587.19
IQD21,794,329
|
$27,628.35
€26,201.68
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.54
IQD20,413
|
$26.01
€24.67
|
|
pay 2.6 times more for housing
|
Iraq
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$34.52
IQD45,363
|
$49.35
€46.80
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$280.02
IQD367,920
|
$815.11
€773.02
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$188.34
IQD247,461
|
$705.09
€668.68
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$66.51
IQD87,386
|
$154.10
€146.15
|
|
pay 5.4 times more for childcare
|
Iraq
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$139.67
IQD183,513
|
$557.50
€528.71
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,045.09
IQD2,687,093
|
$13,740.85
€13,031.30
|
|
pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Iraq
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.57
IQD3,379
|
$4.34
€4.11
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.36
IQD3,102
|
$3.51
€3.33
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.06
IQD2,702
|
$9.08
€8.61
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.77
IQD43,061
|
$36.02
€34.16
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.37
IQD11,003
|
$12.48
€11.83
|
|
pay 2.7 times more for clothing
|
Iraq
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$23.65
IQD31,071
|
$92.82
€88.03
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$25.45
IQD33,446
|
$43.31
€41.07
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$48.29
IQD63,448
|
$90.40
€85.73
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$36.75
IQD48,283
|
$125.11
€118.65
|
|
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