Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $662 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$662

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $662 in Basra versus $1,585 in Sofia.

Basra $662
Sofia $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,191 in Basra versus $2,486 in Sofia.

Basra $1,191
Sofia $2,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,719 in Basra versus $3,387 in Sofia.

Basra $1,719
Sofia $3,387

Living in Basra costs roughly 58% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Basra is 51% below, Sofia is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 IQD 6,082

$16.57 BGN 29.00

-75.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.47 IQD 40.0K

$67.7 BGN 118

-60.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 IQD 10.0K

$11.68 BGN 20.44

-43.32%

Cappuccino

$2.17 IQD 3,285

$3.41 BGN 5.96

-36.36%

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

$0.37 IQD 554

$2.36 BGN 4.13

-84.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 IQD 417

$1.67 BGN 2.92

-83.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 IQD 4,916

$3.99 BGN 6.98

-18.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 IQD 5,393

$4.53 BGN 7.93

-21.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 IQD 1,389

$1.94 BGN 3.39

-52.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 IQD 902

$1.55 BGN 2.72

-61.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 IQD 1,842

$2.35 BGN 4.12

-48.09%

Eggs

$1.62 IQD 2,448

$4.60 BGN 8.05

-64.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 IQD 9,681

$11.47 BGN 20.07

-44.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.58 IQD 8,429

$8.65 BGN 15.13

-35.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.22 IQD 18.5K

$17.34 BGN 30.34

-29.53%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,267

$2.15 BGN 3.76

-60.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 IQD 1,753

$1.98 BGN 3.47

-41.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 IQD 1,342

$1.83 BGN 3.20

-51.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 910

$4.27 BGN 7.47

-85.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,044

$1.04 BGN 1.83

-33.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 846

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-37.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 IQD 1,236

$1.19 BGN 2.08

-31.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 547

$0.83 BGN 1.46

-56.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 IQD 2,790

$4.40 BGN 7.70

-57.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 IQD 16.9K

$7.42 BGN 12.98

50.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 IQD 2,365

$1.16 BGN 2.03

35.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 IQD 2,717

$1.90 BGN 3.32

-5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 762

$0.92 BGN 1.61

-45.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.56 IQD 25.0K

$28.11 BGN 49.19

-41.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 IQD 3,056

$1.67 BGN 2.92

20.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 IQD 3,023

$0.85 BGN 1.49

135.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,581

$16.59 BGN 29.04

-61.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 838

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-68.39%

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

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

$29.9K BGN 52.4K

-60.88%

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

$19.9K IQD 30.1M

$25.0K BGN 43.8K

-20.32%

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

$43.26 IQD 65.4K

$158 BGN 276

-72.60%

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

$21.81 IQD 33.0K

$21.27 BGN 37.22

2.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.04 IQD 51.4K

$15.12 BGN 26.46

125.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.25 IQD 47.2K

$46.85 BGN 82.0

-33.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.28 IQD 18.6K

$27.82 BGN 48.69

-55.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.69 IQD 10.1K

$10.00 BGN 17.49

-33.10%

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

$107 IQD 161.7K

$815 BGN 1,427

-86.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,309 IQD 5.0M

$14.6K BGN 25.6K

-77.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.15 IQD 65.2K

$87.1 BGN 152

-50.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.34 IQD 26.2K

$38.28 BGN 67.0

-54.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

$106 BGN 185

-36.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.13 IQD 54.6K

$107 BGN 188

-66.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 IQD 612.0K

$769 BGN 1,345

-47.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.2K

$593 BGN 1,038

-76.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 IQD 559.6K

$1,530 BGN 2,677

-75.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 IQD 823.8K

$1,061 BGN 1,856

-48.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,398 IQD 2.1M

$4,526 BGN 7,920

-69.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$704 IQD 1.1M

$3,109 BGN 5,441

-77.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$672 IQD 1.0M

$1,780 BGN 3,116

-62.25%

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 Basra: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$173 26%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 66.8% $115

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$138 20.8%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 331% $455

Eating Out

Basra

$104 15.7%

Sofia

$254 16% 144% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$99 15%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 96% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.1%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 107% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$45 6.7%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 49.8% $22

Getting Around

Basra

$31 4.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 23.3% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $405 in Basra and $769 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $26 in Basra vs $68 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $288 per month, with Basra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

20:03 8:03 PM

1 h behind Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

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 = 5.89 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.97 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Basra Sofia 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Basra
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

Basra vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $662 in Basra and $1,585 in Sofia, so Basra is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Basra. 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: $405 in Basra versus $769 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Basra – a meal for two runs $26 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $662 in Basra versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Basra but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Basra 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.

Expats usually find Basra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.