Iraq

Cost of living

What a month costs

Local food, fuel and rent are cheap by regional standards. Security services, imported goods and reliable private power push real budgets up fast.

The scores

How it rates for a moving family

See and do

Top 10 in Baghdad

1. Al-Mutanabbi StreetThe historic booksellers street, packed on Fridays and named for the great poet.
2. National Museum of IraqMesopotamian treasures from Sumer, Babylon and Assyria, reopened after years of loss and recovery.
3. Al-Kadhimiya ShrineThe twin golden domes and minarets of the Kadhimayn mosque in the Kadhimiya district.
4. Al-Mustansiriya MadrasaA rare surviving 13th century Abbasid college beside the Tigris.
5. Al-Shaheed MonumentThe split turquoise dome of the Martyr's Monument, a striking modern landmark.
6. Freedom MonumentJawad Salim's famous bronze relief over Tahrir Square, a symbol of the 1958 revolution.
7. Abbasid PalaceA restored medieval courtyard building with fine muqarnas brickwork near the old city.
8. Al-QishlaThe Ottoman era clock tower and parade ground beside Al-Mutanabbi Street.
9. Abu Nuwas StreetA riverside promenade along the Tigris long associated with masgouf grills and evening strolls.
10. Al-Zawraa ParkThe city's big central park and zoo, a popular family escape.

Where to go

Weekend escapes

1. BabylonThe reconstructed ancient city near Hillah, about 85 km south, with the Ishtar Gate replica and old palace walls.
2. KarbalaMajor Shia pilgrimage city roughly 100 km southwest, centred on the shrines of Imam Hussein and Abbas.
3. NajafHoly city about 160 km south, home to the golden shrine of Imam Ali and the vast Wadi al-Salam cemetery.
4. SamarraAround 125 km north, famous for the spiral Malwiya minaret of the Great Mosque.
5. CtesiphonThe soaring brick arch of Taq Kasra at Salman Pak, about 35 km southeast on the Tigris.

Coffee

Best cafes

1. Shabandar CafeThe century old literary tea house on Al-Mutanabbi Street, walls lined with old Baghdad photographs.
2. Ridha AlwanA well-known Karrada coffee house that draws writers, students and intellectuals.

Restaurants

Where to eat

1. Al-FaqmaA beloved Baghdad ice cream institution, a fixture of the city's sweet tooth for decades.