Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Aqrah

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.

46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Aqrah
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Aqrah Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Aqrah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Aqrah

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

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

Bansko $968
Aqrah $661

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

Bansko $1,479
Aqrah $1,024

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

Bansko $1,989
Aqrah $1,387

Living in Bansko is roughly 47% more expensive than in Aqrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$4.10 IQD 6,200

115.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.43 BGN 79.1

$21.49 IQD 32.5K

111.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 BGN 15.52

$6.44 IQD 9,733

38.51%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.06

$2.45 IQD 3,699

-4.90%

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

$1.49 BGN 2.60

$0.39 IQD 584

282.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.44

$0.20 IQD 302

315.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 BGN 3.05

$3.28 IQD 4,955

-46.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

$2.61 IQD 3,945

-22.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 BGN 3.00

$0.99 IQD 1,493

73.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 BGN 1.49

$0.67 IQD 1,019

28.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 BGN 2.55

$1.40 IQD 2,116

4.29%

Eggs

$2.33 BGN 4.06

$1.59 IQD 2,404

46.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 BGN 16.60

$3.79 IQD 5,721

151.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 BGN 10.96

$3.51 IQD 5,303

79.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.04

$11.74 IQD 17.7K

-26.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 BGN 2.29

$0.93 IQD 1,407

41.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 BGN 2.86

$0.99 IQD 1,496

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 BGN 3.02

$0.90 IQD 1,367

93.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.68 IQD 1,034

185.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 BGN 1.66

$0.58 IQD 884

63.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$0.59 IQD 888

22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$0.57 IQD 867

-3.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.03

$0.51 IQD 764

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 BGN 5.79

$1.63 IQD 2,467

104.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 BGN 8.84

$11.32 IQD 17.1K

-55.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 BGN 1.95

$1.56 IQD 2,360

-28.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$1.78 IQD 2,692

-2.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.35 IQD 522

154.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.08 BGN 47.11

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$1.84 IQD 2,780

-10.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$1.36 IQD 2,052

-33.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.60 IQD 8,460

78.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.61

$0.55 IQD 825

172.73%

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

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

70.80%

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

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

27.32%

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

$92.5 BGN 161

$88.5 IQD 133.7K

4.58%

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

$14.59 BGN 25.39

$13.38 IQD 20.2K

9.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.13 BGN 21.11

$29.48 IQD 44.5K

-58.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 BGN 55.4

$37.36 IQD 56.5K

-14.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 BGN 14.72

Cinema Ticket

$5.51 BGN 9.59

$8.96 IQD 13.5K

-38.50%

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

$227 BGN 395

$148 IQD 223.1K

53.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,021

$2,790 IQD 4.2M

-17.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.56 BGN 53.2

$21.04 IQD 31.8K

45.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.95 BGN 32.97

$22.77 IQD 34.4K

-16.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.80 BGN 79.7

$58.3 IQD 88.1K

-21.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.28 BGN 84.0

$37.66 IQD 56.9K

28.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 BGN 887

$208 IQD 314.1K

145.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 BGN 634

$140 IQD 211.7K

160.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 BGN 1,085

$376 IQD 567.7K

66.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 BGN 985

$309 IQD 466.5K

83.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,166 BGN 2,028

$874 IQD 1.3M

33.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$969 BGN 1,686

$503 IQD 760.0K

92.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,680 BGN 2,923

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

4.12

-27.43%

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

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Last update for Aqrah: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$364 37.6%

Aqrah

$140 21.2% 61.5% $224

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 19.9%

Aqrah

$156 23.6% 19.4% $37

Eating Out

Bansko

$147 15.2%

Aqrah

$105 16% 28.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.3%

Aqrah

$131 19.9% 10.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Aqrah

$63 9.5% 2.7% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.4%

Aqrah

$55 8.4% 28.9% $12

Getting Around

Bansko

$37 3.8%

Aqrah

$10 * 1.5% 72.8% $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 $510 in Bansko and $208 in Aqrah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇮🇶 Aqrah

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

09:35 9:35 AM

1 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

68,100

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Bansko
Aqrah

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

Bansko vs Aqrah: 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 $1,452 in Bansko and $991 in Aqrah 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: $510 in Bansko versus $208 in Aqrah. 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 $968 per month in Bansko versus $661 in Aqrah – 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, Bansko and Aqrah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.