Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Az Zubayr and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Az Zubayr: $655 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Az Zubayr
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Az Zubayr Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Az Zubayr

🇮🇶 Iraq

$655

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Az Zubayr 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 Az Zubayr and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $655 in Az Zubayr versus $1,585 in Sofia.

Az Zubayr $655
Sofia $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,023 in Az Zubayr versus $2,486 in Sofia.

Az Zubayr $1,023
Sofia $2,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,391 in Az Zubayr versus $3,387 in Sofia.

Az Zubayr $1,391
Sofia $3,387

Living in Az Zubayr costs roughly 59% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Az Zubayr is 52% below, Sofia is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 IQD 6,130

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-75.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.51 IQD 32.5K

$67.7 BGN 118

-68.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.44 IQD 9,731

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-44.86%

Cappuccino

$2.36 IQD 3,562

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-30.79%

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

$0.39 IQD 583

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-83.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-88.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 IQD 5,101

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-15.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 IQD 3,967

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-41.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 IQD 1,567

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-46.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,099

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-52.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 IQD 2,179

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-38.72%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,416

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-65.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.89 IQD 5,872

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-66.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 IQD 5,511

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-57.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.96 IQD 18.1K

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-31.03%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,503

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-53.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 IQD 1,505

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-49.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,361

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-50.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,025

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-84.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 881

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-44.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 925

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-31.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 IQD 867

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-52.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 765

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-38.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.64 IQD 2,475

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-62.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 IQD 17.1K

$7.42 BGN 12.91

52.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 IQD 2,288

$1.16 BGN 2.01

30.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 IQD 2,718

$1.90 BGN 3.30

-5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 480

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-65.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 IQD 2,814

$1.67 BGN 2.90

11.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 IQD 1,937

$0.85 BGN 1.49

50.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 IQD 8,428

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-66.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 IQD 812

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-68.97%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-43.80%

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

$16.4K IQD 24.9M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-34.24%

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

$86.1 IQD 130.0K

$158 BGN 275

-45.48%

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

$13.49 IQD 20.4K

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-36.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.68 IQD 43.3K

$15.12 BGN 26.30

89.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.54 IQD 55.2K

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-22.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$9.29 IQD 14.0K

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-7.10%

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

$145 IQD 219.0K

$815 BGN 1,419

-82.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,796 IQD 4.2M

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-80.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.75 IQD 31.4K

$87.1 BGN 152

-76.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.82 IQD 34.5K

$38.28 BGN 66.6

-40.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.2 IQD 89.4K

$106 BGN 184

-43.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.13 IQD 56.1K

$107 BGN 187

-65.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 IQD 308.7K

$769 BGN 1,338

-73.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$136 IQD 205.9K

$593 BGN 1,032

-77.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$381 IQD 575.6K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-75.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 IQD 470.7K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-70.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$855 IQD 1.3M

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-81.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$488 IQD 736.8K

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-84.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

2.89

42.56%

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

Last update for Az Zubayr: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Az Zubayr

$159 24.2%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 81.3% $129

Accommodation & Living

Az Zubayr

$136 20.8%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 335% $457

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Az Zubayr

$128 19.6%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 51.5% $66

Eating Out

Az Zubayr

$105 16%

Sofia

$254 16% 143% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Az Zubayr

$63 9.6%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 142% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Az Zubayr

$55 8.4%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 21.3% $12

Getting Around

Az Zubayr

$9.5 * 1.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 295% $28

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 $204 in Az Zubayr and $769 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22 in Az Zubayr vs $68 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $159 vs $288 per month, with Az Zubayr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Az Zubayr

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

1 h behind Az Zubayr

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

370,000

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 = 5.92 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.514 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,689 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.94 BGN (1 BGN = 0.514 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Az Zubayr Sofia 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Az Zubayr
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

Az Zubayr vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $655 in Az Zubayr and $1,585 in Sofia, so Az Zubayr is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $983 in Az Zubayr and $2,378 in Sofia 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: $204 in Az Zubayr versus $769 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 81% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $655 per month in Az Zubayr versus $1,585 in Sofia – Az Zubayr is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $655 in Az Zubayr versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Az Zubayr but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Az Zubayr 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.