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
IQD6,059
|
$19.07
€18.29
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.72
IQD8,770
|
$10.84
€10.39
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.42
IQD543
|
$2.78
€2.66
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.22
IQD291
|
$2.46
€2.36
|
|
pay 2.4 times more for groceries
|
Iraq
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.82
IQD1,064
|
$2.28
€2.18
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$2.51
IQD3,278
|
$6.70
€6.42
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.56
IQD5,950
|
$4.44
€4.26
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.76
IQD2,302
|
$3.43
€3.29
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.21
IQD2,881
|
$4.78
€4.58
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.48
IQD628
|
$1.11
€1.06
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.52
IQD674
|
$0.89
€0.86
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.44
IQD579
|
$1.07
€1.03
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.30
IQD397
|
$1.16
€1.11
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.28
IQD361
|
$0.83
€0.80
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.28
IQD366
|
$0.73
€0.70
|
|
pay 2.0 times more for transportation
|
Iraq
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$1.93
IQD2,512
|
$6.91
€6.63
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$39.46
IQD51,491
|
$45.41
€43.54
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$16,587.19
IQD21,641,945
|
$27,628.35
€26,489.31
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.54
IQD20,271
|
$26.01
€24.94
|
|
pay 2.6 times more for housing
|
Iraq
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$34.52
IQD45,046
|
$49.35
€47.32
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$280.02
IQD365,347
|
$815.11
€781.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$188.34
IQD245,731
|
$705.09
€676.02
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$66.51
IQD86,775
|
$154.10
€147.75
|
|
pay 5.4 times more for childcare
|
Iraq
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$139.67
IQD182,230
|
$557.50
€534.51
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,045.09
IQD2,668,306
|
$13,740.85
€13,174.36
|
|
pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Iraq
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.57
IQD3,356
|
$4.34
€4.16
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.36
IQD3,080
|
$3.51
€3.36
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.06
IQD2,683
|
$9.08
€8.71
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.77
IQD42,760
|
$36.02
€34.54
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.37
IQD10,927
|
$12.48
€11.96
|
|
pay 2.7 times more for clothing
|
Iraq
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$23.65
IQD30,853
|
$92.82
€88.99
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$25.45
IQD33,212
|
$43.31
€41.52
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$48.29
IQD63,004
|
$90.40
€86.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$36.75
IQD47,946
|
$125.11
€119.95
|
|
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