Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Al Kut

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kut: $657 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.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Al Kut
Learn more

Al Kut Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Al Kut

🇮🇶 Iraq

$657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Al Kut

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $657 in Al Kut, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Al Kut $657

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,024 in Al Kut, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Al Kut $1,024

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,391 in Al Kut, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Al Kut $1,391

Sofia costs about 141% more than Al Kut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Al Kut is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$4.25 IQD 6,426

289.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$21.06 IQD 31.8K

221.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.29 IQD 9,511

85.69%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.48 IQD 3,748

37.50%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.35 IQD 534

574.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.22 IQD 333

659.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$3.36 IQD 5,072

18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.60 IQD 3,934

74.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.99 IQD 1,499

95.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.73 IQD 1,108

112.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.48 IQD 2,234

58.78%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.54 IQD 2,321

198.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$3.76 IQD 5,679

205.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.48 IQD 5,256

148.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

48.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$0.87 IQD 1,311

147.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.05 IQD 1,582

88.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.86 IQD 1,292

112.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.67 IQD 1,019

537.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.54 IQD 820

92.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.61 IQD 927

45.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.58 IQD 873

105.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.51 IQD 775

62.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$1.70 IQD 2,563

158.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$11.12 IQD 16.8K

-33.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.58 IQD 2,382

-26.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.88 IQD 2,837

1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.32 IQD 481

187.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.87 IQD 2,823

-10.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.34 IQD 2,019

-36.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$5.55 IQD 8,382

198.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.58 IQD 871

200.00%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

78.25%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

52.15%

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

$158 BGN 275

$85.1 IQD 128.6K

85.50%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$13.61 IQD 20.6K

56.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$28.70 IQD 43.4K

-47.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$36.94 IQD 55.8K

26.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$9.11 IQD 13.8K

9.77%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$146 IQD 220.6K

458.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$2,793 IQD 4.2M

424.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$21.30 IQD 32.2K

308.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$22.72 IQD 34.3K

68.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$60.6 IQD 91.5K

74.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$37.16 IQD 56.1K

188.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$211 IQD 318.6K

264.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$138 IQD 209.0K

328.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$368 IQD 556.5K

315.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$315 IQD 476.3K

236.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$849 IQD 1.3M

432.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$488 IQD 737.0K

537.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.12

-29.85%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Al Kut: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Al Kut

$138 21.1% 76.7% $455

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Al Kut

$156 23.7% 46% $132

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Al Kut

$107 16.3% 57.8% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Al Kut

$127 19.4% 34.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Al Kut

$64 9.7% 58.1% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Al Kut

$55 8.4% 17.5% $12

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Al Kut

$9.8 * 1.5% 74% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $211 in Al Kut. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $21 in Al Kut. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $156 – making Al Kut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇶 Al Kut

🕒 Local time

10:18 10:18 AM

11:18 11:18 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

422,793

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Al Kut 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Al Kut

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

Sofia vs Al Kut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $657 in Al Kut – Al Kut comes out roughly 59% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $985 in Al Kut. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Kut, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $657 in Al Kut. That makes Al Kut about 59% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $146 in Al Kut. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Al Kut, where all-in costs run around $657, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Al Kut it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al Kut – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.