Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iraq and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Iraq: $726 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Iraq
Sofia, Bulgaria
🇮🇶 Iraq
$726
/mo nomad
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,585
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Iraq is 47.6% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 54.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Iraq is 53.5% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 56.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Iraq
Sofia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.84 IQD 5,809
$16.57 BGN 28.84
-76.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.78 IQD 29.9K
$67.7 BGN 118
-70.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.59 IQD 9,955
$11.68 BGN 20.33
-43.58%
Cappuccino
$2.34 IQD 3,529
$3.41 BGN 5.93
-31.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 IQD 569
$2.36 BGN 4.11
-83.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 IQD 262
$1.67 BGN 2.91
-89.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.21 IQD 4,846
$3.99 BGN 6.94
-19.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 IQD 5,127
$4.53 BGN 7.88
-25.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Iraq
Sofia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.99 IQD 1,500
$1.94 BGN 3.38
-48.97%
White Bread (500g)
$0.70 IQD 1,056
$1.55 BGN 2.70
-54.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.38 IQD 2,078
$2.35 BGN 4.09
-41.28%
Eggs
$1.57 IQD 2,371
$4.60 BGN 8.00
-65.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.26 IQD 6,436
$11.47 BGN 19.96
-62.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.73 IQD 5,633
$8.65 BGN 15.04
-56.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.06 IQD 16.7K
$17.34 BGN 30.17
-36.22%
Apples (1kg)
$0.89 IQD 1,340
$2.15 BGN 3.73
-58.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 IQD 1,582
$1.98 BGN 3.45
-46.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.90 IQD 1,364
$1.83 BGN 3.18
-50.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.57 IQD 859
$4.27 BGN 7.43
-86.65%
Potato (1kg)
$0.53 IQD 804
$1.04 BGN 1.82
-49.04%
Onion (1kg)
$0.53 IQD 808
$0.89 BGN 1.54
-40.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.57 IQD 868
$1.19 BGN 2.06
-52.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 IQD 664
$0.83 BGN 1.45
-46.99%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.61 IQD 2,440
$4.40 BGN 7.66
-63.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.11 IQD 15.3K
$7.42 BGN 12.91
36.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 IQD 2,538
$1.16 BGN 2.01
44.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 IQD 2,790
$1.90 BGN 3.30
-2.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Iraq
Sofia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 IQD 519
$0.92 BGN 1.60
-63.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.89 IQD 30.1K
$28.11 BGN 48.91
-29.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.95 IQD 2,950
$1.67 BGN 2.90
16.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.47 IQD 2,219
$0.85 BGN 1.49
72.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.25 IQD 7,931
$16.59 BGN 28.87
-68.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.56 IQD 848
$1.74 BGN 3.03
-67.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.7K IQD 25.3M
$29.9K BGN 52.1K
-44.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.6K IQD 25.1M
$25.0K BGN 43.5K
-33.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iraq
Sofia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 IQD 154.6K
$158 BGN 275
-35.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.44 IQD 20.3K
$21.27 BGN 37.01
-36.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.55 IQD 44.7K
$15.12 BGN 26.30
95.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Iraq
Sofia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.80 IQD 48.0K
$46.85 BGN 81.5
-32.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.09 IQD 25.8K
$27.82 BGN 48.41
-38.57%
Cinema Ticket
$7.76 IQD 11.7K
$10.00 BGN 17.39
-22.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Iraq
Sofia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$158 IQD 239.1K
$815 BGN 1,419
-80.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,839 IQD 5.8M
$14.6K BGN 25.5K
-73.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Iraq
Sofia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$19.43 IQD 29.4K
$87.1 BGN 152
-77.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.15 IQD 35.0K
$38.28 BGN 66.6
-39.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$50.4 IQD 76.1K
$106 BGN 184
-52.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.86 IQD 61.7K
$107 BGN 187
-61.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Iraq
Sofia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$265 IQD 399.9K
$769 BGN 1,338
-65.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$186 IQD 280.6K
$593 BGN 1,032
-68.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$507 IQD 765.3K
$1,530 BGN 2,662
-66.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$360 IQD 543.3K
$1,061 BGN 1,846
-66.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,510 IQD 2.3M
$4,526 BGN 7,875
-66.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$705 IQD 1.1M
$3,109 BGN 5,410
-77.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Iraq
Sofia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$494 IQD 745.7K
$1,780 BGN 3,098
-72.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.32
2.89
118.69%

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

Last update for Iraq: November 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Iraq
$186
Sofia
$593 219% $407
Groceries & Markets
Iraq
$153
Sofia
$288 88.1% $135
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iraq
$145
Sofia
$194 33.7% $49
Eating Out
Iraq
$104
Sofia
$254 145% $150
Clothing & Footwear
Iraq
$60
Sofia
$152 153% $92
Sport & Entertainment
Iraq
$47
Sofia
$67 41.2% $20
Getting Around
Iraq
$31
Sofia
$38 23.4% $7.2
Good to know
🇮🇶 Iraq
🇧🇬 Sofia
🕒 Local time
11:17 11:17 AM
10:17 10:17 AM
1 h behind Iraq
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
38,274,618
1,286,383 Capital
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Iraq Sofia 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Iraq
  • 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

Iraq vs other spots: cost of living compared

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