Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Az Zubayr

For one person, living is cheaper in Az Zubayr: $655 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Az Zubayr
Learn more

Az Zubayr Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Az Zubayr

🇮🇶 Iraq

$655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Az Zubayr

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 Az Zubayr actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $655 in Az Zubayr.

Sofia $1,585
Az Zubayr $655

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,023 in Az Zubayr.

Sofia $2,486
Az Zubayr $1,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,391 in Az Zubayr.

Sofia $3,387
Az Zubayr $1,391

Living in Sofia is roughly 142% more expensive than in Az Zubayr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Az Zubayr is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$4.06 IQD 6,130

308.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$21.51 IQD 32.5K

214.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.44 IQD 9,731

81.37%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.36 IQD 3,562

44.49%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.39 IQD 583

505.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.20 IQD 302

735.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$3.38 IQD 5,101

18.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.63 IQD 3,967

72.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.04 IQD 1,567

86.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.73 IQD 1,099

112.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.44 IQD 2,179

63.19%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.60 IQD 2,416

187.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$3.89 IQD 5,872

194.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.65 IQD 5,511

136.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$11.96 IQD 18.1K

44.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$0.99 IQD 1,503

117.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.00 IQD 1,505

98.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.90 IQD 1,361

103.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.68 IQD 1,025

527.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.58 IQD 881

79.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.61 IQD 925

45.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.57 IQD 867

108.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.51 IQD 765

62.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$1.64 IQD 2,475

168.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$11.32 IQD 17.1K

-34.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.51 IQD 2,288

-23.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.80 IQD 2,718

5.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.32 IQD 480

187.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.86 IQD 2,814

-10.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.28 IQD 1,937

-33.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$5.58 IQD 8,428

197.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.54 IQD 812

222.22%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

77.93%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$16.4K IQD 24.9M

52.07%

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

$158 BGN 275

$86.1 IQD 130.0K

83.43%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$13.49 IQD 20.4K

57.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$28.68 IQD 43.3K

-47.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$36.54 IQD 55.2K

28.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$9.29 IQD 14.0K

7.64%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$145 IQD 219.0K

462.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$2,796 IQD 4.2M

423.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$20.75 IQD 31.4K

319.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$22.82 IQD 34.5K

67.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$59.2 IQD 89.4K

78.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$37.13 IQD 56.1K

188.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$204 IQD 308.7K

276.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$136 IQD 205.9K

335.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$381 IQD 575.6K

301.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$312 IQD 470.7K

240.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$855 IQD 1.3M

429.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$488 IQD 736.8K

537.56%

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 Az Zubayr: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Az Zubayr

$136 20.8% 77% $457

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Az Zubayr

$159 24.2% 44.9% $129

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Az Zubayr

$105 16% 58.8% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Az Zubayr

$128 19.6% 34% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Az Zubayr

$63 9.6% 58.6% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Az Zubayr

$55 8.4% 17.5% $12

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Az Zubayr

$9.5 * 1.5% 74.7% $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 $769 in Sofia and $204 in Az Zubayr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $22 in Az Zubayr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $159 per month, with Az Zubayr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇶 Az Zubayr

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

370,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.514 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.92 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.94 BGN (1 BGN = 0.514 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,689 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.92 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Az Zubayr 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Az Zubayr

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 Az Zubayr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $655 in Az Zubayr, so Az Zubayr is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,378 in Sofia and $983 in Az Zubayr 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: $769 in Sofia versus $204 in Az Zubayr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 81% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $655 in Az Zubayr – Az Zubayr is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $655 in Az Zubayr versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Az Zubayr but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Az Zubayr 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.