Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Mashhad, Iraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $756 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Mashhad

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

A single person spends $968 per month in Bansko vs $756 in Mashhad, rent included.

Bansko $968
Mashhad $756

A couple spends around $1,479 per month in Bansko vs $1,119 in Mashhad, rent included.

Bansko $1,479
Mashhad $1,119

A family of three spends $1,989 per month in Bansko vs $1,481 in Mashhad, rent included.

Bansko $1,989
Mashhad $1,481

Bansko costs about 28% more than Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bansko and Mashhad are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 28% lower, Mashhad 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$4.49 IQD 6,781

96.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.43 BGN 79.1

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

69.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 BGN 15.52

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

32.54%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.06

$2.71 IQD 4,100

-14.02%

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

$1.49 BGN 2.60

$0.36 IQD 542

313.89%

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

$3.37 IQD 5,090

-48.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

$3.39 IQD 5,126

-40.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 BGN 3.00

$0.91 IQD 1,368

89.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 BGN 1.49

$0.73 IQD 1,106

17.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 BGN 2.55

$1.32 IQD 1,997

10.61%

Eggs

$2.33 BGN 4.06

$0.82 IQD 1,242

184.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 BGN 16.60

$3.41 IQD 5,157

179.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 BGN 10.96

$1.98 IQD 2,985

218.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.04

$2.95 IQD 4,463

192.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 BGN 2.29

$1.03 IQD 1,556

28.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 BGN 2.86

$0.91 IQD 1,377

81.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 BGN 3.02

$0.87 IQD 1,321

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.64 IQD 971

203.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 BGN 1.66

$0.59 IQD 898

61.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$0.56 IQD 840

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$0.31 IQD 474

77.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.03

$0.21 IQD 321

180.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 BGN 5.79

$0.77 IQD 1,168

332.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 BGN 8.84

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

-57.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 BGN 1.95

$1.92 IQD 2,898

-41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$1.87 IQD 2,832

-7.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.34 IQD 520

161.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.08 BGN 47.11

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$1.96 IQD 2,965

-16.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$1.31 IQD 1,972

-30.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.42 IQD 9,699

55.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.61

$0.54 IQD 810

177.78%

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

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

70.06%

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

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

28.51%

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

$92.5 BGN 161

$191 IQD 288.5K

-51.55%

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

$14.59 BGN 25.39

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

-24.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.13 BGN 21.11

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

-68.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 BGN 55.4

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

-13.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 BGN 14.72

Cinema Ticket

$5.51 BGN 9.59

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

-43.14%

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

$227 BGN 395

$143 IQD 215.6K

59.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,021

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

-27.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.56 BGN 53.2

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

19.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.95 BGN 32.97

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

-44.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.80 BGN 79.7

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

-22.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.28 BGN 84.0

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

13.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 BGN 887

$212 IQD 319.9K

140.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 BGN 634

$139 IQD 210.6K

161.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 BGN 1,085

$378 IQD 571.7K

64.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 BGN 985

$319 IQD 482.6K

77.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,166 BGN 2,028

$862 IQD 1.3M

35.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$969 BGN 1,686

$491 IQD 742.5K

97.20%

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 Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$364 37.6%

Mashhad

$139 18.4% 61.7% $225

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 19.9%

Mashhad

$115 15.2% 40.5% $78

Eating Out

Bansko

$147 15.2%

Mashhad

$115 15.1% 22.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.3%

Mashhad

$249 32.9% 109% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Mashhad

$72 9.6% 12% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.4%

Mashhad

$56 7.4% 31% $13

Getting Around

Bansko

$37 3.8%

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3% 73.2% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $510 in Bansko versus $212 in Mashhad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Bansko versus $27 in Mashhad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $115 – making Mashhad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

05:31 5:31 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

1 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

13,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Mashhad 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Mashhad

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $968 in Bansko, $756 in Mashhad – Mashhad comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,452 per month in Bansko and $1,134 in Mashhad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mashhad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $212 there versus $510 in Bansko.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $968 in Bansko and $756 in Mashhad. That makes Mashhad about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $227 per month in Bansko and $143 in Mashhad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $968 in Bansko and $756 in Mashhad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mashhad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.