Cost of living comparison

Zambia

compared to

Iraq

Baghdad vs. Lusaka Cost of Living Summary

Baghdad is 2.0% more expensive than Lusaka.

Restaurants: pay 5.3% less in Baghdad
Groceries: pay 53.3% less in Baghdad
Transportation: pay 19.5% less in Baghdad
Housing: pay 78.6% more in Baghdad
Childcare: pay 49.8% less in Baghdad
Entertainment and Sports: pay 35.2% more in Baghdad
Clothing: pay 27.7% more in Baghdad

The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Baghdad are more expensive than in Lusaka. Expenses including groceries, childcare, transportation, and restaurants are lower in Baghdad. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Baghdad.

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Baghdad vs. Lusaka Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Baghdad instead of Lusaka, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 5.3% less for restaurants

	Lusaka	Baghdad
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.53 ZMW110.20	$4.79 IQD7,272	-13.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.03 ZMW100.18	$7.63 IQD11,589	+51.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.75 ZMW15.03	$0.38 IQD583	-49.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.47 ZMW9.39	$0.24 IQD362	-49.4%
Average			-5.3%

Lusaka vs. Baghdad - Cost of restaurants

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pay 53.3% less for groceries

	Lusaka	Baghdad
Bread 1 loaf	$1.20 ZMW23.92	$0.81 IQD1,223	-32.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.15 ZMW102.63	$1.93 IQD2,930	-62.5%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.52 ZMW129.88	$4.02 IQD6,102	-38.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.94 ZMW38.66	$1.90 IQD2,881	-2.2%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.87 ZMW57.22	$2.14 IQD3,254	-25.4%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.53 ZMW30.42	$0.52 IQD789	-66.0%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.10 ZMW21.94	$0.49 IQD745	-55.4%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.65 ZMW32.94	$0.48 IQD730	-70.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.70 ZMW13.88	$0.35 IQD526	-50.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.16 ZMW23.20	$0.30 IQD453	-74.4%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.83 ZMW16.51	$0.30 IQD460	-63.4%
Average			-53.3%

Lusaka vs. Baghdad - Cost of groceries

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pay 19.5% less for transportation

	Lusaka	Baghdad
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.77 ZMW115.01	$2.46 IQD3,729	-57.4%
Monthly public transit pass	$50.15 ZMW999.41	$22.90 IQD34,768	-54.3%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$7,541.11 ZMW150K	$19,083.90 IQD29M	+153.1%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$14.58 ZMW290.52	$14.50 IQD22,020	-0.5%
Average			-19.5%

Lusaka vs. Baghdad - Cost of transportation

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pay 78.6% more for housing

	Lusaka	Baghdad
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$54.99 ZMW1,095.72	$42.17 IQD64,020	-23.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$384.95 ZMW7,670.79	$575.90 IQD874K	+49.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$179.40 ZMW3,574.79	$365.77 IQD555K	+103.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$61.51 ZMW1,225.74	$164.12 IQD249K	+166.8%
Average			+78.6%

Lusaka vs. Baghdad - Cost of housing

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pay 49.8% less for childcare

	Lusaka	Baghdad
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$138.25 ZMW2,754.96	$167.78 IQD255K	+21.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$16,638.36 ZMW332K	$3,458.96 IQD5M	-79.2%
Average			-49.8%

Lusaka vs. Baghdad - Cost of childcare

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pay 35.2% more for entertainment and sports

	Lusaka	Baghdad
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.26 ZMW25.05	$3.82 IQD5,795	+203.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.82 ZMW56.21	$3.11 IQD4,716	+10.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.02 ZMW60.11	$1.91 IQD2,897	-36.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$54.67 ZMW1,089.46	$46.95 IQD71,275	-14.1%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$6.03 ZMW120.22	$10.73 IQD16,283	+77.8%
Average			+35.2%

Lusaka vs. Baghdad - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 27.7% more for clothing

	Lusaka	Baghdad
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$23.28 ZMW463.85	$28.84 IQD43,782	+23.9%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$15.45 ZMW307.88	$32.65 IQD49,577	+111.4%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$45.19 ZMW900.42	$68.76 IQD104K	+52.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$72.53 ZMW1,445.30	$48.35 IQD73,400	-33.3%
Average			+27.7%

Lusaka vs. Baghdad - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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