Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $662 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.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
Learn more

Basra Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$662

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basra and in Bansko

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

A single person spends $662 per month in Basra vs $968 in Bansko, rent included.

Basra $662
Bansko $968

A couple spends around $1,191 per month in Basra vs $1,479 in Bansko, rent included.

Basra $1,191
Bansko $1,479

A family of three spends $1,719 per month in Basra vs $1,989 in Bansko, rent included.

Basra $1,719
Bansko $1,989

Basra is about 32% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Basra and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Basra 51% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 IQD 6,082

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-54.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.47 IQD 40.0K

$45.43 BGN 79.1

-41.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 IQD 10.0K

$8.92 BGN 15.52

-25.78%

Cappuccino

$2.17 IQD 3,285

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-6.87%

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

$0.37 IQD 554

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-75.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 IQD 417

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-66.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 IQD 4,916

$1.75 BGN 3.05

85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 IQD 5,393

$2.01 BGN 3.49

77.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 IQD 1,389

$1.72 BGN 3.00

-46.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 IQD 902

$0.86 BGN 1.49

-30.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 IQD 1,842

$1.46 BGN 2.55

-16.44%

Eggs

$1.62 IQD 2,448

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-30.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 IQD 9,681

$9.54 BGN 16.60

-32.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.58 IQD 8,429

$6.30 BGN 10.96

-11.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.22 IQD 18.5K

$8.64 BGN 15.04

41.44%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,267

$1.32 BGN 2.29

-36.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 IQD 1,753

$1.65 BGN 2.86

-29.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 IQD 1,342

$1.74 BGN 3.02

-48.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 910

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-69.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,044

$0.95 BGN 1.66

-27.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 846

$0.72 BGN 1.26

-22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 IQD 1,236

$0.55 BGN 0.96

49.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 547

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-38.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 IQD 2,790

$3.33 BGN 5.79

-44.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 IQD 16.9K

$5.08 BGN 8.84

119.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 IQD 2,365

$1.12 BGN 1.95

40.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 IQD 2,717

$1.73 BGN 3.01

4.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 762

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-43.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.56 IQD 25.0K

$27.08 BGN 47.11

-38.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 IQD 3,056

$1.64 BGN 2.85

23.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 IQD 3,023

$0.91 BGN 1.59

119.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,581

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-36.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 838

$1.50 BGN 2.61

-63.33%

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

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

-58.99%

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

$19.9K IQD 30.1M

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

-6.14%

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

$43.26 IQD 65.4K

$92.5 BGN 161

-53.24%

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

$21.81 IQD 33.0K

$14.59 BGN 25.39

49.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.04 IQD 51.4K

$12.13 BGN 21.11

180.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.25 IQD 47.2K

$31.84 BGN 55.4

-1.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.28 IQD 18.6K

$8.46 BGN 14.72

45.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.69 IQD 10.1K

$5.51 BGN 9.59

21.42%

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

$107 IQD 161.7K

$227 BGN 395

-52.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,309 IQD 5.0M

$2,311 BGN 4,021

43.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.15 IQD 65.2K

$30.56 BGN 53.2

41.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.34 IQD 26.2K

$18.95 BGN 32.97

-8.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

$45.80 BGN 79.7

46.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.13 IQD 54.6K

$48.28 BGN 84.0

-25.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 IQD 612.0K

$510 BGN 887

-20.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.2K

$364 BGN 634

-62.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 IQD 559.6K

$624 BGN 1,085

-40.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 IQD 823.8K

$566 BGN 985

-3.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,398 IQD 2.1M

$1,166 BGN 2,028

19.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$704 IQD 1.1M

$969 BGN 1,686

-27.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$672 IQD 1.0M

$1,680 BGN 2,923

-60.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

2.99

37.79%

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

Last update for Basra: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$173 26%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 11.9% $20

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$138 20.8%

Bansko

$364 37.6% 164% $227

Eating Out

Basra

$104 15.7%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 41.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$99 15%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 20.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.1%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 12.2% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$45 6.7%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 3.9% $1.8

Getting Around

Basra

$31 4.6%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 20.4% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $405 in Basra versus $510 in Bansko. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bansko are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Basra versus $45 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $193 – making Basra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

1 h behind Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

8,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 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 = 1,698 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

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).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Basra Bansko 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Basra
Bansko

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

Basra vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $662 in Basra, $968 in Bansko – Basra comes out roughly 32% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $994 per month in Basra and $1,452 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Basra, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $405 there versus $510 in Bansko.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Basra and $45 in Bansko. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $662 in Basra and $968 in Bansko. That makes Basra about 32% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $662 in Basra and $968 in Bansko, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

If budget matters most, go with Basra. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.