Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duhok and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Duhok: $602 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Duhok
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Duhok Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Duhok

🇮🇶 Iraq

$602

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $602 in Duhok versus $1,585 in Sofia.

Duhok $602
Sofia $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $972 in Duhok versus $2,486 in Sofia.

Duhok $972
Sofia $2,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,341 in Duhok versus $3,387 in Sofia.

Duhok $1,341
Sofia $3,387

Living in Duhok costs roughly 62% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Duhok is 55% below, Sofia is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 IQD 5,021

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-79.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.31 IQD 24.6K

$67.7 BGN 118

-75.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.39 IQD 11.2K

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-36.73%

Cappuccino

$2.44 IQD 3,680

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-28.45%

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

$0.31 IQD 475

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-86.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 IQD 264

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-89.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.61 IQD 2,440

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-59.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 IQD 3,069

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-55.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 IQD 1,658

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-43.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 IQD 973

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-58.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,293

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-35.32%

Eggs

$1.52 IQD 2,298

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-66.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.99 IQD 7,534

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-56.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.07 IQD 4,643

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-64.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 IQD 16.5K

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-36.97%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 IQD 1,394

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-57.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,500

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 IQD 1,107

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-60.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 963

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-85.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 IQD 916

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-41.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 IQD 940

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-30.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 IQD 924

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-48.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 IQD 712

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-43.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.66 IQD 2,512

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-62.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

$7.42 BGN 12.91

45.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 IQD 2,136

$1.16 BGN 2.01

21.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 IQD 2,796

$1.90 BGN 3.30

-2.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 487

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-65.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.80 IQD 23.9K

$28.11 BGN 48.91

-43.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 IQD 2,468

$1.67 BGN 2.90

-2.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 IQD 1,999

$0.85 BGN 1.49

55.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 IQD 8,596

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-65.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 869

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-66.67%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-44.10%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.5M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-29.82%

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

$86.9 IQD 131.3K

$158 BGN 275

-44.95%

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

$8.61 IQD 13.0K

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-59.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.44 IQD 36.9K

$15.12 BGN 26.30

61.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.58 IQD 74.9K

$46.85 BGN 81.5

5.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.57 IQD 40.1K

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-4.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 IQD 11.4K

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-24.50%

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

$109 IQD 164.6K

$815 BGN 1,419

-86.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,500 IQD 5.3M

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-76.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.85 IQD 14.9K

$87.1 BGN 152

-88.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.82 IQD 30.0K

$38.28 BGN 66.6

-48.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.31 IQD 45.8K

$106 BGN 184

-71.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$19.91 IQD 30.1K

$107 BGN 187

-81.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$159 IQD 240.7K

$769 BGN 1,338

-79.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 IQD 168.4K

$593 BGN 1,032

-81.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$324 IQD 490.0K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-78.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 IQD 484.5K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-69.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$429 IQD 647.6K

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-90.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$369 IQD 558.2K

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-88.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 IQD 647.8K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-75.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

2.89

-12.46%

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

Last update for Duhok: 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

Duhok

$153 25.4%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 88.2% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Duhok

$120 19.9%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 61.9% $74

Accommodation & Living

Duhok

$111 18.5%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 432% $482

Eating Out

Duhok

$92 15.3%

Sofia

$254 16% 176% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Duhok

$65 10.7%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 3.4% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Duhok

$36 6%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 323% $116

Getting Around

Duhok

$25 4.2%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 48.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $159 in Duhok and $769 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Duhok vs $68 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $153 vs $288 per month, with Duhok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Duhok

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

10:17 10:17 AM

1 h behind Duhok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,900

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 = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,697 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

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).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Duhok Sofia 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Duhok
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

Duhok vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $602 in Duhok and $1,585 in Sofia, so Duhok is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 76% lower in Duhok. 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: $159 in Duhok versus $769 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $109 in Duhok versus $815 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $602 in Duhok versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Duhok but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Duhok 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, Duhok and Sofia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Duhok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.