Cost of living comparison

China

compared to

Iraq

Baghdad vs. Shanghai Cost of Living Summary

Baghdad is 26.4% cheaper than Shanghai.

Restaurants: pay 7.8% more in Baghdad
Groceries: pay 39.4% less in Baghdad
Transportation: pay 20.0% less in Baghdad
Housing: pay 14.7% less in Baghdad
Childcare: pay 87.8% less in Baghdad
Entertainment and Sports: pay 11.8% more in Baghdad
Clothing: pay 33.6% less in Baghdad

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

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Baghdad vs. Shanghai Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 7.8% more for restaurants

	Shanghai	Baghdad
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.47 CN¥29.94	$4.79 IQD7,272	+7.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.22 CN¥34.93	$7.63 IQD11,589	+46.2%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.60 CN¥4.01	$0.38 IQD583	-35.9%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.37 CN¥2.47	$0.24 IQD362	-35.5%
Average			+7.8%

Shanghai vs. Baghdad - Cost of restaurants

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pay 39.4% less for groceries

	Shanghai	Baghdad
Bread 1 loaf	$1.98 CN¥13.22	$0.81 IQD1,223	-59.2%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$8.60 CN¥57.52	$1.93 IQD2,930	-77.6%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.88 CN¥46.02	$4.02 IQD6,102	-41.6%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.70 CN¥11.36	$1.90 IQD2,881	+11.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.48 CN¥9.89	$2.14 IQD3,254	+45.0%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.99 CN¥6.65	$0.52 IQD789	-47.7%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.77 CN¥5.16	$0.49 IQD745	-36.3%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.90 CN¥6.05	$0.48 IQD730	-46.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.77 CN¥5.15	$0.35 IQD526	-55.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.36 CN¥2.40	$0.30 IQD453	-16.7%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.43 CN¥2.90	$0.30 IQD460	-30.1%
Average			-39.4%

Shanghai vs. Baghdad - Cost of groceries

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pay 20.0% less for transportation

	Shanghai	Baghdad
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.96 CN¥33.21	$2.46 IQD3,729	-50.5%
Monthly public transit pass	$29.83 CN¥199.59	$22.90 IQD34,768	-23.2%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	$19,083.90 IQD29M	-1.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$5.67 CN¥37.92	$14.50 IQD22,020	+155.9%
Average			-20.0%

Shanghai vs. Baghdad - Cost of transportation

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pay 14.7% less for housing

	Shanghai	Baghdad
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$10.55 CN¥70.59	$42.17 IQD64,020	+299.7%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,036.96 CN¥6,938.07	$575.90 IQD874K	-44.5%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$588.71 CN¥3,938.93	$365.77 IQD555K	-37.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$44.06 CN¥294.77	$164.12 IQD249K	+272.5%
Average			-14.7%

Shanghai vs. Baghdad - Cost of housing

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pay 87.8% less for childcare

	Shanghai	Baghdad
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$1,413.50 CN¥9,457.42	$167.78 IQD255K	-88.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$27,686.22 CN¥185K	$3,458.96 IQD5M	-87.5%
Average			-87.8%

Shanghai vs. Baghdad - Cost of childcare

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pay 11.8% more for entertainment and sports

	Shanghai	Baghdad
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.19 CN¥7.98	$3.82 IQD5,795	+219.9%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.35 CN¥22.41	$3.11 IQD4,716	-7.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.73 CN¥24.95	$1.91 IQD2,897	-48.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$65.69 CN¥439.52	$46.95 IQD71,275	-28.5%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$8.95 CN¥59.88	$10.73 IQD16,283	+19.8%
Average			+11.8%

Shanghai vs. Baghdad - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 33.6% less for clothing

	Shanghai	Baghdad
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$54.37 CN¥363.79	$28.84 IQD43,782	-47.0%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$37.09 CN¥248.19	$32.65 IQD49,577	-12.0%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$75.49 CN¥505.08	$68.76 IQD104K	-8.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$105.70 CN¥707.25	$48.35 IQD73,400	-54.3%
Average			-33.6%

Shanghai 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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