Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Burgas

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $958 a month against $1,232 in Burgas, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Burgas
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Burgas Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Burgas

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Erbil and in Burgas

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Erbil vs $1,232 in Burgas, rent included.

Erbil $958
Burgas $1,232

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Erbil vs $1,825 in Burgas, rent included.

Erbil $1,427
Burgas $1,825

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Erbil vs $2,419 in Burgas, rent included.

Erbil $1,896
Burgas $2,419

Erbil is about 22% cheaper than Burgas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Erbil and Burgas are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 30% lower, Burgas 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$13.35 BGN 23.37

-51.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$43.72 BGN 76.5

-16.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$11.55 BGN 20.21

-35.84%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$3.37 BGN 5.90

-3.86%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$1.06 BGN 1.86

-16.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.79 BGN 1.38

-58.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$2.04 BGN 3.57

181.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$2.78 BGN 4.87

41.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$1.69 BGN 2.96

-36.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.99 BGN 1.74

-32.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$2.01 BGN 3.51

-24.38%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$3.23 BGN 5.66

-50.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$9.86 BGN 17.26

-29.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$8.81 BGN 15.42

-50.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$11.58 BGN 20.26

9.41%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$2.34 BGN 4.09

-59.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$2.05 BGN 3.58

-50.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$2.05 BGN 3.58

-50.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$2.55 BGN 4.47

-72.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$1.67 BGN 2.92

-61.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$1.42 BGN 2.48

-55.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$0.93 BGN 1.64

-31.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.88 BGN 1.54

-40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$3.56 BGN 6.23

-38.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$6.81 BGN 11.92

59.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.03 BGN 1.81

40.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$1.91 BGN 3.34

-6.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-43.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

$33.96 BGN 59.4

15.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$1.75 BGN 3.07

-4.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$0.76 BGN 1.33

110.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$12.09 BGN 21.16

-52.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$1.67 BGN 2.92

-65.87%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$30.3K BGN 53.0K

-44.59%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$23.5K BGN 41.2K

-27.20%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$103 BGN 180

7.87%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$14.39 BGN 25.18

-14.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$11.76 BGN 20.59

109.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$37.79 BGN 66.1

50.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

$14.31 BGN 25.04

-5.80%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$8.74 BGN 15.29

10.18%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$230 BGN 402

27.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$14.7K BGN 25.7K

-81.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$58.0 BGN 102

-53.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$29.82 BGN 52.2

29.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$70.8 BGN 124

-13.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$74.7 BGN 131

-19.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$569 BGN 995

-25.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$448 BGN 784

-39.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$803 BGN 1,404

-12.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$612 BGN 1,072

-34.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$2,581 BGN 4,516

-60.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$1,888 BGN 3,304

-67.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$1,002 BGN 1,754

-48.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

3.25

-22.15%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Last update for Burgas: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Burgas

$448 36.4% 65.1% $177

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Burgas

$246 20% 41.6% $72

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Burgas

$205 16.7% 33.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Burgas

$129 10.5% 12.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Burgas

$105 8.5% 25.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Burgas

$55 4.5% 27.5% $21

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Burgas

$43 3.5% 15.6% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Erbil versus $569 in Burgas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 93% higher in Burgas. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil versus $44 in Burgas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $246 – making Erbil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇧🇬 Burgas

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

1 h behind Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

189,741

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 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 October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,690 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Erbil Burgas 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
Burgas

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

Erbil vs Burgas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $958 in Erbil, $1,232 in Burgas – Erbil comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,437 per month in Erbil and $1,847 in Burgas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erbil, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $569 in Burgas.

Public transport costs about 14% less in Burgas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $294 per month in Erbil and $230 in Burgas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Burgas has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $958 in Erbil to $1,232 in Burgas. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

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