Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad, Iraq and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $756 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $756 in Mashhad versus $1,585 in Sofia.

Mashhad $756
Sofia $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,119 in Mashhad versus $2,486 in Sofia.

Mashhad $1,119
Sofia $2,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,481 in Mashhad versus $3,387 in Sofia.

Mashhad $1,481
Sofia $3,387

Living in Mashhad costs roughly 52% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mashhad is 44% below, Sofia is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.49 IQD 6,781

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-72.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

$67.7 BGN 118

-60.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-42.38%

Cappuccino

$2.71 IQD 4,100

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-20.53%

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

$0.36 IQD 542

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-84.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-88.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 IQD 5,090

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-15.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 IQD 5,126

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-25.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 IQD 1,368

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-53.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,106

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-52.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,997

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-43.83%

Eggs

$0.82 IQD 1,242

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-82.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.41 IQD 5,157

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-70.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.98 IQD 2,985

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-77.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.95 IQD 4,463

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-82.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,556

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-52.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,377

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-54.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 IQD 1,321

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-52.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 971

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-85.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 898

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-43.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 840

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-37.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 IQD 474

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-73.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 IQD 321

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-74.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.77 IQD 1,168

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-82.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

$7.42 BGN 12.91

59.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 IQD 2,898

$1.16 BGN 2.01

65.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,832

$1.90 BGN 3.30

-1.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 520

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-63.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 IQD 2,965

$1.67 BGN 2.90

17.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 IQD 1,972

$0.85 BGN 1.49

54.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.42 IQD 9,699

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-61.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 IQD 810

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-68.97%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-43.90%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-33.94%

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

$191 IQD 288.5K

$158 BGN 275

20.96%

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

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-8.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

$15.12 BGN 26.30

155.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-21.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-3.10%

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

$143 IQD 215.6K

$815 BGN 1,419

-82.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-78.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

$87.1 BGN 152

-70.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

$38.28 BGN 66.6

-11.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

$106 BGN 184

-44.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

$107 BGN 187

-60.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$212 IQD 319.9K

$769 BGN 1,338

-72.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 IQD 210.6K

$593 BGN 1,032

-76.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 IQD 571.7K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-75.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 IQD 482.6K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-69.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$862 IQD 1.3M

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-80.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 IQD 742.5K

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-84.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

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 Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mashhad

$249 32.9%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 22% $55

Accommodation & Living

Mashhad

$139 18.4%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 326% $454

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$115 15.2%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 150% $173

Eating Out

Mashhad

$115 15.1%

Sofia

$254 16% 122% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$72 9.6%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 110% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$56 7.4%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 19% $11

Getting Around

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 282% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $212 in Mashhad and $769 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27 in Mashhad vs $68 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $115 vs $288 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

05:29 5:29 AM

1 h behind Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

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 = 5.9 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 = 1,696 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mashhad Sofia 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mashhad
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

Mashhad vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $756 in Mashhad and $1,585 in Sofia, so Mashhad is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,134 in Mashhad and $2,378 in Sofia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $212 in Mashhad versus $769 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $143 in Mashhad versus $815 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mashhad – a meal for two runs $27 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $756 in Mashhad versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad 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, Mashhad and Sofia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.