Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $968 a month against $1,032 in Baghdad, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Baghdad outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
Learn more

Baghdad Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,032

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Baghdad

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 Baghdad actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $968 in Bansko versus $1,032 in Baghdad.

Bansko $968
Baghdad $1,032

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,479 in Bansko versus $1,490 in Baghdad.

Bansko $1,479
Baghdad $1,490

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,989 in Bansko versus $1,949 in Baghdad.

Bansko $1,989
Baghdad $1,949

Living in Bansko costs roughly 6% less than in Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bansko 28% lower, Baghdad 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$4.34 IQD 6,556

103.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.43 BGN 79.1

$26.47 IQD 40.0K

71.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 BGN 15.52

$6.40 IQD 9,677

39.37%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.06

$2.67 IQD 4,034

-12.73%

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

$1.49 BGN 2.60

$0.39 IQD 587

282.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.44

$0.22 IQD 333

277.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 BGN 3.05

$3.21 IQD 4,857

-45.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

$3.27 IQD 4,937

-38.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 BGN 3.00

$0.91 IQD 1,378

89.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 BGN 1.49

$0.67 IQD 1,006

28.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 BGN 2.55

$1.37 IQD 2,077

6.57%

Eggs

$2.33 BGN 4.06

$1.69 IQD 2,557

37.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 BGN 16.60

$3.37 IQD 5,091

183.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 BGN 10.96

$3.90 IQD 5,900

61.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.04

$12.44 IQD 18.8K

-30.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 BGN 2.29

$1.03 IQD 1,557

28.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 BGN 2.86

$0.90 IQD 1,356

83.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 BGN 3.02

$0.94 IQD 1,418

85.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.64 IQD 963

203.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 BGN 1.66

$0.60 IQD 904

58.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$0.57 IQD 861

26.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$0.58 IQD 883

-5.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.03

$0.62 IQD 935

-4.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 BGN 5.79

$1.54 IQD 2,331

116.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 BGN 8.84

$11.95 IQD 18.1K

-57.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 BGN 1.95

$1.90 IQD 2,874

-41.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$1.87 IQD 2,833

-7.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.34 IQD 518

161.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.08 BGN 47.11

$19.50 IQD 29.5K

38.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$2.02 IQD 3,059

-18.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$1.31 IQD 1,976

-30.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.76 IQD 10.2K

47.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.61

$0.58 IQD 870

158.62%

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

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

$16.4K IQD 24.7M

74.37%

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

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

$16.4K IQD 24.7M

29.76%

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

$92.5 BGN 161

$191 IQD 288.4K

-51.52%

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

$14.59 BGN 25.39

$20.02 IQD 30.3K

-27.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.13 BGN 21.11

$38.64 IQD 58.4K

-68.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 BGN 55.4

$39.72 IQD 60.0K

-19.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 BGN 14.72

$18.37 IQD 27.8K

-53.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.51 BGN 9.59

$9.98 IQD 15.1K

-44.79%

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

$227 BGN 395

$145 IQD 218.4K

57.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,021

$5,369 IQD 8.1M

-56.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.56 BGN 53.2

$24.76 IQD 37.4K

23.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.95 BGN 32.97

$33.12 IQD 50.0K

-42.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.80 BGN 79.7

$59.3 IQD 89.6K

-22.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.28 BGN 84.0

$42.11 IQD 63.6K

14.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 BGN 887

$530 IQD 800.5K

-3.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 BGN 634

$348 IQD 526.3K

4.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 BGN 1,085

$992 IQD 1.5M

-37.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 BGN 985

$611 IQD 923.3K

-7.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,166 BGN 2,028

$4,348 IQD 6.6M

-73.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$969 BGN 1,686

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

-30.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,680 BGN 2,923

$517 IQD 780.9K

225.08%

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 Baghdad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$364 37.6%

Baghdad

$348 33.8% 4.4% $16

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 19.9%

Baghdad

$162 15.7% 15.9% $31

Eating Out

Bansko

$147 15.2%

Baghdad

$111 10.8% 24.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.3%

Baghdad

$250 24.2% 109% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Baghdad

$72 7% 10.9% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.4%

Baghdad

$60 5.8% 39.2% $17

Getting Around

Bansko

$37 3.8%

Baghdad

$29 2.9% 20.1% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $510 in Bansko and $530 in Baghdad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bansko pays about 3.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45 in Bansko vs $26 in Baghdad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $162 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

1 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

7,216,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,698 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Baghdad 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Baghdad

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 Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bansko wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Baghdad. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bansko the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Bansko is about 3.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $510 in Bansko versus $530 in Baghdad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baghdad runs roughly 28% less than in Bansko. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $227 in Bansko versus $145 in Baghdad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bansko gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.