Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-mawsil and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-mawsil: $597 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Al-mawsil
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Al-mawsil Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Al-mawsil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$597

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al-mawsil and in Sofia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Al-mawsil and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $597 in Al-mawsil versus $1,585 in Sofia.

Al-mawsil $597
Sofia $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $906 in Al-mawsil versus $2,486 in Sofia.

Al-mawsil $906
Sofia $2,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,214 in Al-mawsil versus $3,387 in Sofia.

Al-mawsil $1,214
Sofia $3,387

Living in Al-mawsil costs roughly 62% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al-mawsil is 56% below, Sofia is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.17 IQD 6,296

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-74.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.66 IQD 16.1K

$67.7 BGN 118

-84.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 IQD 7,265

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-58.82%

Cappuccino

$0.68 IQD 1,029

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-80.06%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 IQD 482

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-86.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 IQD 265

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-89.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.81 IQD 1,224

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-79.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 IQD 2,029

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-70.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 IQD 1,037

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-64.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 IQD 976

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-58.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 872

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-75.32%

Eggs

$0.95 IQD 1,435

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-79.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 IQD 10.9K

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-37.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 IQD 4,522

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-65.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 IQD 11.9K

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-54.50%

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,031

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-68.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,033

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-65.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.49 IQD 738

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-73.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.24 IQD 364

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-94.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 IQD 410

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-74.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 IQD 482

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-64.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 IQD 911

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-49.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 779

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-37.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 IQD 2,425

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-63.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

$7.42 BGN 12.91

45.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 IQD 2,237

$1.16 BGN 2.01

27.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 IQD 2,810

$1.90 BGN 3.30

-2.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 IQD 523

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-61.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.92 IQD 39.2K

$28.11 BGN 48.91

-7.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,521

$1.67 BGN 2.90

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 IQD 2,349

$0.85 BGN 1.49

82.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 IQD 6,008

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-76.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.29 IQD 432

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-83.33%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$13.4K IQD 20.2M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-55.40%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$15.4K IQD 23.3M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-38.27%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$90.9 IQD 137.3K

$158 BGN 275

-42.44%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$12.11 IQD 18.3K

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-43.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.19 IQD 35.0K

$15.12 BGN 26.30

53.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-21.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 IQD 10.1K

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-75.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 IQD 9,880

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-34.60%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$295 IQD 445.5K

$815 BGN 1,419

-63.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$589 IQD 889.3K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-95.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.58 IQD 25.1K

$87.1 BGN 152

-80.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.00 IQD 19.6K

$38.28 BGN 66.6

-66.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

$106 BGN 184

-43.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$16.06 IQD 24.3K

$107 BGN 187

-85.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$212 IQD 319.8K

$769 BGN 1,338

-72.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 IQD 210.0K

$593 BGN 1,032

-76.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 IQD 564.8K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-75.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 IQD 475.0K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-70.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$868 IQD 1.3M

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-80.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 IQD 741.2K

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-84.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$522 IQD 788.5K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-70.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

2.89

-12.46%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Al-mawsil: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Al-mawsil

$139 23.3%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 327% $454

Groceries & Markets

Al-mawsil

$133 22.3%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 116% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-mawsil

$126 21.1%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 54% $68

Eating Out

Al-mawsil

$65 10.8%

Sofia

$254 16% 292% $189

Sport & Entertainment

Al-mawsil

$50 8.4%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 33.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Al-mawsil

$47 7.9%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 222% $105

Getting Around

Al-mawsil

$37 6.2%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 2.6% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $212 in Al-mawsil and $769 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Al-mawsil vs $68 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $133 vs $288 per month, with Al-mawsil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Al-mawsil

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

14:49 2:49 PM

1 h behind Al-mawsil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,683,000

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,697 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Al-mawsil Sofia 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Al-mawsil
Sofia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Al-mawsil vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-mawsil is about 62% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Al-mawsil. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $212 in Al-mawsil versus $769 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $295 in Al-mawsil versus $815 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 116% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $597 in Al-mawsil versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al-mawsil but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Al-mawsil the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Al-mawsil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.