Explore Cities/Compare Cities/Erbil vs Tehran

Erbil vs Tehran

Side-by-side comparison for digital nomads

Tehran 38% cheaper Tehran +13 Mbps N/A / Moderate

Erbil

Saad Salim/Unsplash

Tehran

Sajad Nori/Unsplash

Nomad Cost

$3,240

Erbil

$2,005

Tehran

Internet

Mbps

Safety

N/A

Erbil

Moderate

Tehran

Air Quality

5/5

Erbil

5/5

Tehran

Healthcare

N/A

Erbil

High

Tehran

Population

485.0k

Erbil

9.0m

Tehran

Erbil (Kurdistan) and Tehran (Iran) are both in Middle East, offering different takes on the nomad lifestyle. Here is how they compare across the metrics that matter most.

Cost of Living

Budget-conscious nomads take note: Tehran costs $2005/mo, saving 38% compared to Erbil's $3240/mo — that's $14820 per year.

For families, Erbil costs $4041.59375/mo compared to Tehran's $1613.908441674087/mo.

Internet & Infrastructure

Remote workers will appreciate Tehran's 16 Mbps (global #175) — considerably faster than Erbil's 3 Mbps (#0).

Quality of Life

Both Erbil and Tehran share the same safety rating — travelers can feel equally comfortable in either city.

Healthcare quality is rated similarly in both Erbil and Tehran.

Monthly Weather Comparison

The best time to visit Erbil is April (around 27 degrees, 0mm rain, score 354), while Tehran peaks in April (22 degrees, 0mm rain, score 419). Timing your stay around these months can make a big difference in your experience.

Cost of Living

ErbilTehran

Nomad$3,240/mo$2,005/mo

Expat$1,878/mo$828/mo

Local$1,155/mo$461/mo

Family$4,042/mo$1,614/mo

Internet & Infrastructure

ErbilTehran

City Speed

3 Mbps

16 Mbps#175

Country Speed0 Mbps16 Mbps

Environment & Health

ErbilTehran

Air Quality Score5/55/5

PollutionN/AHigh

ClimateN/AHigh

Humidity3022

Quality of Life

ErbilTehran

SafetyN/AModerate

HealthcareN/AHigh

Monthly Weather Comparison

Erbil

Tehran

Jan

11°

0mm299

8°

0mm369

Feb

12°

0mm304

7°

0mm364

Mar

15°

0mm301

13°

0mm379

Apr

27°

0mm354

22°

0mm419

May

28°

0mm354

24°

0mm419

Jun

40°

0mm294

34°

0mm379

Jul

42°

0mm294

36°

0mm369

Aug

42°

0mm294

37°

0mm369

Sep

36°

0mm304

31°

0mm399

Oct

28°

0mm354

23°

0mm419

Nov

18°

0mm334

14°

0mm379

Dec

12°

0mm304

6°

0mm359

Who Should Choose Erbil?

Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Smaller city feel with 485.0k residents
Peak season in April — 27 degrees, score 354

Who Should Choose Tehran?

Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Family-friendly at $1613.908441674087/mo for families
Major city energy with 9.0m residents
Peak season in April — 22 degrees, score 419

Overall Verdict

For the typical digital nomad, Tehran is the stronger pick. At $2005/mo it beats Erbil's $3240/mo by 38%, and the 16 Mbps internet handles video calls without issues.

Granular Price Comparison

Erbil Tehran

ItemErbilTehranDiff

🍽️Restaurants8 items

Meal, inexpensive restaurant$5.49$4

27%

Meal for 2, mid-range (3-course)$24.5$30

18%

McMeal or equivalent combo$10$4.98

50%

Cappuccino (regular)$3.5$1.51

57%

Domestic beer (0.5L draught)$2$0.8

60%

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$1.71$1.94

12%

Coke/Pepsi (0.33L)$0.5$0.93

46%

Water (0.33L)$0.29$0.77

62%

🛒Markets19 items

Milk (1L)$1.13$0.81

28%

White bread (500g)$0.78$0.53

32%

White rice (1kg)$1.4$3.72

62%

Eggs (12)$1.62$1.3

20%

Chicken fillets (1kg)$3.65$3.19

13%

Beef round (1kg)$10.1$8.11

20%

Local cheese (1kg)$6.8$4.05

40%

Apples (1kg)$1.01$1.12

10%

Bananas (1kg)$1.01$1.38

27%

Oranges (1kg)$0.97$1.11

13%

Tomatoes (1kg)$0.74$0.66

11%

Potatoes (1kg)$0.57$0.6

Onions (1kg)$0.6$0.5

17%

Lettuce (1 head)$0.71$0.51

28%

Water (1.5L bottle)$0.46$0.3

35%

Wine, mid-range bottle$10.28$1

90%

Domestic beer (0.5L bottle)$1.39$0.5

64%

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$1.49$1.27

15%

Cigarettes (pack of 20)$2.02$2.88

30%

🚌Transport8 items

One-way local transport ticket$0.34$0.36

Monthly transport pass$25.35$16.41

35%

Taxi start (normal tariff)$2.05$0.5

76%

Taxi per 1km$2.03$0.36

82%

Taxi 1hr waiting$4.23$3

29%

Gasoline (1L)$0.73$0.72

Volkswagen Golf (new)$19,945.78$65,000

69%

Toyota Corolla (new)$20,956.21$54,950.14

62%

⚡Utilities3 items

Utilities, 85m² apartment/mo$98.88$21.1

79%

Internet 60+ Mbps/mo$30.31$13.96

54%

Mobile prepaid per minute$0.07$0.01

86%

🏋️Sport & Leisure3 items

Fitness club, monthly$49.53$20.43

59%

Tennis court rent (1hr weekend)$11.37$16.2

30%

Cinema, 1 ticket$10$1.5

85%

👶Childcare2 items

Preschool, full-day private/mo$232.48$132.6

43%

International primary school/yr$3,210.98$1,605.63

50%

👗Clothing4 items

Jeans (Levi's 501 or similar)$37.07$53.37

31%

Summer dress (chain store)$26.81$46.53

42%

Nike running shoes (mid-range)$67.15$138.76

52%

Men's leather business shoes$66.04$91.91

28%

🏠Rent4 items

1-bedroom apartment, city centre$492.96$541.33

1-bedroom apartment, outside centre$295.11$428.83

31%

3-bedroom apartment, city centre$765.75$1,337.72

43%

3-bedroom apartment, outside centre$517.82$921.78

44%

🏗️Buy2 items

Price per m², city centre$945.35$2,183.1

57%

Price per m², outside centre$659.96$1,280.31

48%

💰Finance2 items

Average monthly net salary$641.26$294.97

54%

Mortgage interest rate (20yr fixed)$17$20

15%

Lower is better for all cost items.

Data from Open-Meteo (weather) and global internet speed rankings. Updated monthly.

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