Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aqrah and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Aqrah: $661 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Aqrah
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Aqrah Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Aqrah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$661

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aqrah and in Bansko

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $661 in Aqrah versus $968 in Bansko.

Aqrah $661
Bansko $968

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,024 in Aqrah versus $1,479 in Bansko.

Aqrah $1,024
Bansko $1,479

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,387 in Aqrah versus $1,989 in Bansko.

Aqrah $1,387
Bansko $1,989

Living in Aqrah costs roughly 32% less than in Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Aqrah 51% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.10 IQD 6,200

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-53.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.49 IQD 32.5K

$45.43 BGN 79.1

-52.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.44 IQD 9,733

$8.92 BGN 15.52

-27.80%

Cappuccino

$2.45 IQD 3,699

$2.33 BGN 4.06

5.15%

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

$0.39 IQD 584

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-73.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-75.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 IQD 4,955

$1.75 BGN 3.05

87.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 IQD 3,945

$2.01 BGN 3.49

29.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 IQD 1,493

$1.72 BGN 3.00

-42.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.86 BGN 1.49

-22.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 IQD 2,116

$1.46 BGN 2.55

-4.11%

Eggs

$1.59 IQD 2,404

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-31.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.79 IQD 5,721

$9.54 BGN 16.60

-60.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 IQD 5,303

$6.30 BGN 10.96

-44.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.74 IQD 17.7K

$8.64 BGN 15.04

35.88%

Apples (1kg)

$0.93 IQD 1,407

$1.32 BGN 2.29

-29.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,496

$1.65 BGN 2.86

-40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,367

$1.74 BGN 3.02

-48.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,034

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-64.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 884

$0.95 BGN 1.66

-38.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 888

$0.72 BGN 1.26

-18.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 IQD 867

$0.55 BGN 0.96

3.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 764

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 IQD 2,467

$3.33 BGN 5.79

-51.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 IQD 17.1K

$5.08 BGN 8.84

122.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 IQD 2,360

$1.12 BGN 1.95

39.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 IQD 2,692

$1.73 BGN 3.01

2.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 IQD 522

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-60.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.08 BGN 47.11

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 IQD 2,780

$1.64 BGN 2.85

12.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 IQD 2,052

$0.91 BGN 1.59

49.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 IQD 8,460

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-44.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 825

$1.50 BGN 2.61

-63.33%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

-41.45%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

-21.46%

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

$88.5 IQD 133.7K

$92.5 BGN 161

-4.38%

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

$13.38 IQD 20.2K

$14.59 BGN 25.39

-8.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 IQD 44.5K

$12.13 BGN 21.11

143.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.36 IQD 56.5K

$31.84 BGN 55.4

17.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 BGN 14.72

Cinema Ticket

$8.96 IQD 13.5K

$5.51 BGN 9.59

62.61%

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

$148 IQD 223.1K

$227 BGN 395

-35.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,790 IQD 4.2M

$2,311 BGN 4,021

20.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.04 IQD 31.8K

$30.56 BGN 53.2

-31.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.77 IQD 34.4K

$18.95 BGN 32.97

20.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.3 IQD 88.1K

$45.80 BGN 79.7

27.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.66 IQD 56.9K

$48.28 BGN 84.0

-22.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 IQD 314.1K

$510 BGN 887

-59.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 IQD 211.7K

$364 BGN 634

-61.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 IQD 567.7K

$624 BGN 1,085

-39.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 IQD 466.5K

$566 BGN 985

-45.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$874 IQD 1.3M

$1,166 BGN 2,028

-25.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$503 IQD 760.0K

$969 BGN 1,686

-48.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,680 BGN 2,923

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

2.99

37.79%

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

Last update for Aqrah: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Aqrah

$156 23.6%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 24% $37

Accommodation & Living

Aqrah

$140 21.2%

Bansko

$364 37.6% 160% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aqrah

$131 19.9%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 9.2% $12

Eating Out

Aqrah

$105 16%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 39.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Aqrah

$63 9.5%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 2.7% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Aqrah

$55 8.4%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 22.4% $12

Getting Around

Aqrah

$10 * 1.5%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 268% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $208 in Aqrah and $510 in Bansko. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21 in Aqrah vs $45 in Bansko for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $156 vs $193 per month, with Aqrah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Aqrah

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

1 h behind Aqrah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,100

8,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 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 = 1,696 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aqrah Bansko 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Aqrah
Bansko

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

Aqrah vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aqrah wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Bansko. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Aqrah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $991 in Aqrah and $1,452 in Bansko to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $208 in Aqrah versus $510 in Bansko. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Bansko. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $661 per month in Aqrah versus $968 in Bansko – Aqrah is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $661 in Aqrah versus $968 in Bansko, a $800 budget is realistic in Aqrah but tight or insufficient in Bansko. The gap between the two cities makes Aqrah 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.

Safety-wise, Aqrah and Bansko are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.