Cost of living comparison

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

compared to

Baghdad, Iraq

Baghdad vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Summary

Baghdad is 11.1% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur.

Restaurants: pay 7.6% less in Baghdad
Groceries: pay 35.5% less in Baghdad
Transportation: pay 26.4% more in Baghdad
Housing: pay 29.8% more in Baghdad
Childcare: pay 48.4% less in Baghdad
Entertainment and Sports: pay 12.8% less in Baghdad
Clothing: pay 29.3% less in Baghdad

The cost of housing and transportation in Baghdad are more expensive than in Kuala Lumpur. Expenses including childcare, groceries, clothing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are lower in Baghdad.

Baghdad vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Baghdad instead of Kuala Lumpur, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 7.6% less for restaurants

	Kuala Lumpur	Baghdad
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.54 MYR19.34	$5.31 IQD6,962	+16.9%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.54 MYR19.34	$7.59 IQD9,945	+67.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.84 MYR3.59	$0.42 IQD553	-50.0%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.53 MYR2.27	$0.19 IQD249	-64.5%
Average			-7.6%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Baghdad - Cost of restaurants

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pay 35.5% less for groceries

	Kuala Lumpur	Baghdad
Bread 1 loaf	$0.95 MYR4.03	$0.88 IQD1,148	-7.5%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$7.58 MYR32.25	$2.38 IQD3,117	-68.6%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.22 MYR30.72	$5.13 IQD6,721	-28.9%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.36 MYR10.03	$1.82 IQD2,385	-22.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.94 MYR8.24	$2.22 IQD2,908	+14.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.24 MYR5.28	$0.51 IQD673	-58.5%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.69 MYR2.94	$0.51 IQD674	-25.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.25 MYR5.32	$0.46 IQD609	-62.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.63 MYR2.67	$0.31 IQD403	-50.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.47 MYR1.99	$0.30 IQD389	-36.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.51 MYR2.18	$0.29 IQD379	-43.6%
Average			-35.5%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Baghdad - Cost of groceries

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pay 26.4% more for transportation

	Kuala Lumpur	Baghdad
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$1.77 MYR7.55	$1.78 IQD2,338	+0.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$11.36 MYR48.34	$22.77 IQD29,836	+100.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$37,478.71 MYR159,528.11	$18,213.31 IQD23,868,624	-51.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$10.22 MYR43.51	$15.94 IQD20,885	+55.9%
Average			+26.4%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Baghdad - Cost of transportation

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pay 29.8% more for housing

	Kuala Lumpur	Baghdad
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$25.27 MYR107.54	$35.21 IQD46,144	+39.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$536.30 MYR2,282.74	$443.62 IQD581,372	-17.3%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$371.69 MYR1,582.10	$264.28 IQD346,337	-28.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$50.02 MYR212.93	$113.01 IQD148,094	+125.9%
Average			+29.8%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Baghdad - Cost of housing

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pay 48.4% less for childcare

	Kuala Lumpur	Baghdad
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$250.80 MYR1,067.55	$162.43 IQD212,862	-35.2%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$8,920.55 MYR37,970.33	$3,438.23 IQD4,505,812	-61.5%
Average			-48.4%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Baghdad - Cost of childcare

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pay 12.8% less for entertainment and sports

	Kuala Lumpur	Baghdad
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$4.09 MYR17.40	$2.28 IQD2,984	-44.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.92 MYR12.42	$2.89 IQD3,792	-0.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$4.09 MYR17.40	$2.28 IQD2,984	-44.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$44.75 MYR190.47	$29.60 IQD38,797	-33.8%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$4.77 MYR20.30	$7.59 IQD9,945	+59.1%
Average			-12.8%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Baghdad - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 29.3% less for clothing

	Kuala Lumpur	Baghdad
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$57.74 MYR245.76	$28.72 IQD37,643	-50.3%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$35.00 MYR148.98	$34.03 IQD44,598	-2.8%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$76.75 MYR326.70	$61.01 IQD79,951	-20.5%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$73.25 MYR311.80	$41.35 IQD54,193	-43.5%
Average			-29.3%

Kuala Lumpur vs. Baghdad - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025

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