Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and An Nasiriyah

For one person, living is cheaper in An Nasiriyah: $709 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in An Nasiriyah
Learn more

An Nasiriyah Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

An Nasiriyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in An Nasiriyah

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 An Nasiriyah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $709 in An Nasiriyah, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
An Nasiriyah $709

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,011 in An Nasiriyah, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
An Nasiriyah $1,011

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,312 in An Nasiriyah, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
An Nasiriyah $1,312

Sofia costs about 124% more than An Nasiriyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while An Nasiriyah is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$2.74 IQD 4,145

504.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$10.59 IQD 16.0K

539.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$5.99 IQD 9,049

94.99%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.33 IQD 3,528

46.35%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.34 IQD 514

594.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.18 IQD 268

827.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$3.31 IQD 5,008

20.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.35 IQD 5,069

35.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.85 IQD 1,281

128.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.63 IQD 952

146.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$0.92 IQD 1,388

155.43%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.59 IQD 2,404

189.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$2.47 IQD 3,730

364.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.88 IQD 5,870

122.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$8.34 IQD 12.6K

107.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$0.95 IQD 1,428

126.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$0.92 IQD 1,394

115.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.69 IQD 1,050

165.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.37 IQD 563

1054.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.34 IQD 521

205.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.48 IQD 726

85.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.48 IQD 719

147.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.41 IQD 619

102.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$1.28 IQD 1,938

243.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$11.63 IQD 17.6K

-36.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.99 IQD 3,014

-41.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.98 IQD 2,999

-4.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.24 IQD 362

283.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.97 IQD 2,975

-15.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.34 IQD 2,022

-36.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$1.93 IQD 2,923

759.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.55 IQD 831

216.36%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

82.45%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$16.0K IQD 24.1M

56.56%

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

$158 BGN 275

$191 IQD 288.8K

-17.42%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$19.47 IQD 29.4K

9.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$38.79 IQD 58.6K

-61.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$16.25 IQD 24.5K

188.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$10.04 IQD 15.2K

-0.40%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$146 IQD 220.2K

459.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$3,204 IQD 4.8M

357.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$9.88 IQD 14.9K

781.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$34.05 IQD 51.4K

12.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$22.94 IQD 34.7K

360.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$33.31 IQD 50.3K

221.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$208 IQD 313.6K

270.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$138 IQD 208.3K

330.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$379 IQD 572.6K

303.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$317 IQD 478.4K

235.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$857 IQD 1.3M

428.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$486 IQD 734.6K

539.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$662 IQD 1.0M

168.77%

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 An Nasiriyah: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

An Nasiriyah

$138 19.4% 76.8% $455

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

An Nasiriyah

$138 19.4% 52.2% $150

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

An Nasiriyah

$93 13.2% 63.2% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

An Nasiriyah

$249 35.2% 28.4% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

An Nasiriyah

$45 6.4% 70.4% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

An Nasiriyah

$36 5.1% 45.7% $31

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

An Nasiriyah

$9.6 * 1.4% 74.5% $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 $208 in An Nasiriyah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sofia are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $11 in An Nasiriyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $138 – making An Nasiriyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇶 An Nasiriyah

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

13:24 1:24 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

745,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia An Nasiriyah 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
An Nasiriyah

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 An Nasiriyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $709 in An Nasiriyah – An Nasiriyah comes out roughly 55% 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 $1,064 in An Nasiriyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in An Nasiriyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $709 in An Nasiriyah. That makes An Nasiriyah about 55% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $146 in An Nasiriyah. 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 An Nasiriyah, where all-in costs run around $709, than in Sofia at $1,585. In An Nasiriyah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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