---
title: "Living in Erbil as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/erbil
description: "Kurdistan's capital: an ancient citadel and the calmest corner of Iraq"
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Erbil, Iraq

Erbil scores 36.1/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 987 of 1000 cities. There is no open cost-of-living figure yet; expect no dedicated nomad visa, and a measured median download speed of 11.4 Mbps.

Erbil is the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan Region, built around a citadel mound that has been inhabited for thousands of years, with its own visa-on-arrival regime and a security situation far calmer than federal Iraq. Most Western governments still advise against non-essential travel, payments are mostly in cash, summers pass 45 °C and the city sits between unstable neighbours.

Known for: Erbil Citadel, Visa on arrival for many, Kurdish hospitality, Advisories and 45 °C summers.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 36.1 |
| Cost of living | — |
| Safety | 21 |
| Healthcare | 59 |
| Internet | 49 |
| Visa ease | 34 |
| Getting there & around | 45 |
| Climate | 25 |
| Air quality | 21 |
| Quality of life | 35 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | — | country | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 12.6 | country | 2021 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 32.9 | country | 2025 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 64 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 71.5 | country | 2021 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 11.4 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 7.9 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Starlink residential service | Available | country | 2026-10 | [^9] |
| Nomad visa | none listed | country | 2026-07 | [^10] |
| Entry for US / EU / UK passports | visa on arrival / visa on arrival / visa on arrival | country | 2026-02 | [^11] |
| Non-stop destinations (EBL) | 34 | city | 2026-09 | [^12] |
| Restaurants within 3 km of the centre (OpenStreetMap) | 189 | city | 2026-10 | [^16] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 2 / 2 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 3 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 40.6 | city | 2023 | [^15] |
| Human Development Index | 0.695 | country | 2023 | [^17] |
| English proficiency band | very-low | country | 2024 | [^18] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 6.8 | 42 | 64 | no |
| Feb | 8.9 | 37 | 62 | no |
| Mar | 13.6 | 50 | 56 | no |
| Apr | 19 | 42 | 50 | yes |
| May | 25.4 | 16 | 38 | yes |
| Jun | 31.8 | 2 | 22 | no |
| Jul | 35.3 | 1 | 17 | no |
| Aug | 34.9 | 1 | 17 | no |
| Sep | 30.2 | 2 | 20 | no |
| Oct | 23.6 | 18 | 32 | yes |
| Nov | 14.2 | 31 | 51 | no |
| Dec | 8.7 | 41 | 61 | no |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Erbil International Airport | EBL | 34 | 30 | 0 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 34, of which 30 international (Wikipedia, 2026-09).

## Similar cities

- [Baghdad](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/baghdad) (34.6) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/baghdad-vs-erbil)
- [Lagos](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/lagos) (37.8) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/erbil-vs-lagos)
- [Ibadan](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/ibadan) (36.3) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/erbil-vs-ibadan)
- [Mandalay](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/mandalay) (37.9) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/erbil-vs-mandalay)
- [Yangon](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/yangon) (41.4) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/erbil-vs-yangon)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in Erbil as a digital nomad?

We do not have a reliable monthly cost figure for Erbil yet.

### Is Erbil safe for digital nomads?

Erbil scores 21/100 on safety. Iraq records 12.6 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2021) and a political-stability score of 32.9/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Iraq have a digital nomad visa?

No dedicated digital nomad visa was listed for Iraq as of 2026-07. Visitors from the US get a visa on arrival.

### How fast is the internet in Erbil?

Measured median download speed in Erbil was 11.4 Mbps (upload 7.9 Mbps) across 10,112 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Is Starlink available in Erbil?

Yes. Starlink's availability map lists residential service as available in Iraq (checked 2026-10), so a dish can serve as a backup line in Erbil. Check the exact address on starlink.com before ordering, since capacity varies by area.

### Which airports serve Erbil and how many nonstop flights are there?

Erbil is served by Erbil International Airport (EBL) with 34 nonstop destinations, of which 30 are international. 0 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-09.

### When is the best time of year to be in Erbil?

The most comfortable months are Apr, May, Oct. Mean temperatures range from 44°F (7°C) in Jan to 96°F (35°C) in Jul (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Erbil or Baghdad: which is better for digital nomads?

Baghdad is the city with the closest factor profile to Erbil in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Plan a trip

[Where to stay in Erbil](https://navoy.io/hotels/iraq/erbil) on Navoy, the AI travel planner behind Nostos.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/estimates-of-rates-of-homicides-per-100-000-population (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^5]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: Starlink availability map, SpaceX (Starlink). Factual status cited from starlink.com. https://www.starlink.com/map (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^10]: Digital Nomad Visas 2026, WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^11]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^12]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^13]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04), Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis. CC BY 4.0. https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/surface-pm2-5/ (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^16]: OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API), OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL 1.0. https://overpass-api.de/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
[^17]: Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^18]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/erbil