Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baghdad and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdad: $1,032 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
Learn more

Baghdad Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,032

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,032 in Baghdad versus $1,585 in Sofia.

Baghdad $1,032
Sofia $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,490 in Baghdad versus $2,486 in Sofia.

Baghdad $1,490
Sofia $2,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,949 in Baghdad versus $3,387 in Sofia.

Baghdad $1,949
Sofia $3,387

Living in Baghdad costs roughly 35% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baghdad is 24% below, Sofia is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.34 IQD 6,556

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-73.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.47 IQD 40.0K

$67.7 BGN 118

-60.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.40 IQD 9,677

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-45.21%

Cappuccino

$2.67 IQD 4,034

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-21.70%

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

$0.39 IQD 587

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-83.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-86.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 IQD 4,857

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-19.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 IQD 4,937

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-27.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 IQD 1,378

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-53.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,006

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-56.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 IQD 2,077

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-41.70%

Eggs

$1.69 IQD 2,557

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-63.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.37 IQD 5,091

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-70.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.90 IQD 5,900

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-54.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.44 IQD 18.8K

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-28.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,557

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-52.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,356

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-54.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,418

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-48.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 963

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-85.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 904

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-42.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 861

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-35.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 883

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-51.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 IQD 935

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-25.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 IQD 2,331

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-65.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.95 IQD 18.1K

$7.42 BGN 12.91

61.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 IQD 2,874

$1.16 BGN 2.01

63.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,833

$1.90 BGN 3.30

-1.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 518

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-63.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.50 IQD 29.5K

$28.11 BGN 48.91

-30.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 IQD 3,059

$1.67 BGN 2.90

20.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 IQD 1,976

$0.85 BGN 1.49

54.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.76 IQD 10.2K

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-59.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 870

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-66.67%

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

$16.4K IQD 24.7M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-45.29%

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

$16.4K IQD 24.7M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-34.57%

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

$191 IQD 288.4K

$158 BGN 275

20.89%

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

$20.02 IQD 30.3K

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-5.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.64 IQD 58.4K

$15.12 BGN 26.30

155.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.72 IQD 60.0K

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-15.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 IQD 27.8K

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-33.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.98 IQD 15.1K

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-0.20%

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

$145 IQD 218.4K

$815 BGN 1,419

-82.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,369 IQD 8.1M

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-63.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.76 IQD 37.4K

$87.1 BGN 152

-71.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.12 IQD 50.0K

$38.28 BGN 66.6

-13.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.3 IQD 89.6K

$106 BGN 184

-43.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.11 IQD 63.6K

$107 BGN 187

-60.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 IQD 800.5K

$769 BGN 1,338

-31.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 IQD 526.3K

$593 BGN 1,032

-41.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 IQD 1.5M

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-35.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 IQD 923.3K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-42.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,348 IQD 6.6M

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-3.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-54.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$517 IQD 780.9K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-70.97%

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 Baghdad: 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

Baghdad

$348 33.8%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 70.3% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baghdad

$250 24.2%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 22.1% $55

Groceries & Markets

Baghdad

$162 15.7%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 77.3% $125

Eating Out

Baghdad

$111 10.8%

Sofia

$254 16% 129% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Baghdad

$72 7%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 112% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Baghdad

$60 5.8%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 12% $7.2

Getting Around

Baghdad

$29 2.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 28.1% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $530 in Baghdad 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: $26 in Baghdad vs $68 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $162 vs $288 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

00:21 12:21 AM

1 h behind Baghdad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,216,040 Capital

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 = 5.9 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 5, 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 5, 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

Baghdad Sofia 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Baghdad
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

Baghdad vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baghdad wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baghdad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Baghdad. 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: $530 in Baghdad versus $769 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baghdad runs roughly 31% less than in Sofia. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $145 in Baghdad versus $815 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Baghdad is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Baghdad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.