Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Baghdadi

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdadi: $641 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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 Baghdadi
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Baghdadi Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Baghdadi

🇮🇶 Iraq

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Baghdadi

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $641 in Baghdadi, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Baghdadi $641

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $978 in Baghdadi, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Baghdadi $978

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,316 in Baghdadi, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Baghdadi $1,316

Sofia costs about 147% more than Baghdadi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Baghdadi is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$4.02 IQD 6,071

312.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$13.93 IQD 21.1K

385.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.17 IQD 9,325

89.30%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.88 IQD 2,846

81.38%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.42 IQD 628

461.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.18 IQD 274

827.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$3.25 IQD 4,906

22.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.57 IQD 3,890

76.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.03 IQD 1,553

88.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.48 IQD 729

222.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.75 IQD 4,159

-14.55%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.85 IQD 2,790

148.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$3.83 IQD 5,790

199.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.29 IQD 4,969

162.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$8.24 IQD 12.5K

110.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$0.94 IQD 1,418

128.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.00 IQD 1,507

98.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.93 IQD 1,406

96.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.68 IQD 1,023

527.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.60 IQD 902

73.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.67 IQD 1,009

32.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.51 IQD 777

133.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.54 IQD 814

53.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$1.70 IQD 2,569

158.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$11.28 IQD 17.0K

-34.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.59 IQD 2,401

-27.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.81 IQD 2,740

4.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.34 IQD 518

170.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.80 IQD 2,727

-7.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.29 IQD 1,948

-34.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$5.64 IQD 8,529

194.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.58 IQD 875

200.00%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

82.37%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$17.0K IQD 25.6M

47.54%

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

$158 BGN 275

$87.6 IQD 132.3K

80.29%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$13.62 IQD 20.6K

56.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$28.52 IQD 43.1K

-46.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$36.52 IQD 55.2K

28.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$9.06 IQD 13.7K

10.38%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$143 IQD 216.5K

469.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$2,771 IQD 4.2M

428.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$21.10 IQD 31.9K

312.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

66.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$60.6 IQD 91.6K

74.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$37.63 IQD 56.9K

184.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$207 IQD 313.2K

270.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$136 IQD 205.3K

336.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$382 IQD 576.4K

300.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$313 IQD 472.7K

239.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$870 IQD 1.3M

419.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$487 IQD 735.4K

538.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$499 IQD 753.6K

256.96%

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 Baghdadi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Baghdadi

$136 21.2% 77.1% $457

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Baghdadi

$150 23.4% 48% $138

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Baghdadi

$97 15.2% 61.7% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Baghdadi

$130 20.2% 33.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Baghdadi

$64 10% 57.9% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Baghdadi

$55 8.5% 18.2% $12

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Baghdadi

$9.6 * 1.5% 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 $207 in Baghdadi. 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 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $14 in Baghdadi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $150 – making Baghdadi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇶 Baghdadi

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

11:17 11:17 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

💱 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 Baghdadi 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Baghdadi

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 Baghdadi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 147%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $961 in Baghdadi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Baghdadi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $207 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $14 in Baghdadi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 92% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Baghdadi, where all-in costs run around $641, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Baghdadi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Baghdadi – 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 Baghdadi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.