Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Duhok

For one person, living is cheaper in Duhok: $602 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Duhok
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Duhok Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Duhok

🇮🇶 Iraq

$602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Duhok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $602 in Duhok.

Sofia $1,585
Duhok $602

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $972 in Duhok.

Sofia $2,486
Duhok $972

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,341 in Duhok.

Sofia $3,387
Duhok $1,341

Living in Sofia is roughly 163% more expensive than in Duhok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Duhok is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$3.32 IQD 5,021

399.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$16.31 IQD 24.6K

314.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.39 IQD 11.2K

58.05%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.44 IQD 3,680

39.75%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.31 IQD 475

661.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.17 IQD 264

882.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.61 IQD 2,440

147.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.03 IQD 3,069

123.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.10 IQD 1,658

76.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.64 IQD 973

142.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.52 IQD 2,293

54.61%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.52 IQD 2,298

202.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$4.99 IQD 7,534

129.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.07 IQD 4,643

181.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$10.93 IQD 16.5K

58.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$0.92 IQD 1,394

133.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$0.99 IQD 1,500

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.73 IQD 1,107

150.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.64 IQD 963

567.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.61 IQD 916

70.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.62 IQD 940

43.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.61 IQD 924

95.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.47 IQD 712

76.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$1.66 IQD 2,512

165.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

-31.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.41 IQD 2,136

-17.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.85 IQD 2,796

2.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.32 IQD 487

187.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$15.80 IQD 23.9K

77.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.63 IQD 2,468

2.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.32 IQD 1,999

-35.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$5.69 IQD 8,596

191.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.58 IQD 869

200.00%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

78.89%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$17.6K IQD 26.5M

42.49%

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

$158 BGN 275

$86.9 IQD 131.3K

81.66%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$8.61 IQD 13.0K

147.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$24.44 IQD 36.9K

-38.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$49.58 IQD 74.9K

-5.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$26.57 IQD 40.1K

4.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$7.55 IQD 11.4K

32.45%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$109 IQD 164.6K

648.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$3,500 IQD 5.3M

318.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$9.85 IQD 14.9K

784.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$19.82 IQD 30.0K

93.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$30.31 IQD 45.8K

248.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$19.91 IQD 30.1K

438.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$159 IQD 240.7K

382.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$111 IQD 168.4K

432.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$324 IQD 490.0K

371.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$321 IQD 484.5K

230.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$429 IQD 647.6K

955.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$369 IQD 558.2K

741.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$429 IQD 647.8K

315.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.53

14.23%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Duhok: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Duhok

$111 18.5% 81.2% $482

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Duhok

$153 25.4% 46.9% $135

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Duhok

$92 15.3% 63.7% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Duhok

$120 19.9% 38.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Duhok

$36 6% 76.4% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Duhok

$65 10.7% 3.2% $2.2

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Duhok

$25 4.2% 32.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $159 in Duhok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $16 in Duhok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $153 per month, with Duhok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇶 Duhok

🕒 Local time

02:17 2:17 AM

03:17 3:17 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

340,900

💱 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 = 5.9 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 = 1,696 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Duhok 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Duhok

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 Duhok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $602 in Duhok, so Duhok is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sofia is about 4.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $159 in Duhok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $109 in Duhok. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $602 in Duhok versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Duhok but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Duhok 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, Sofia and Duhok are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Duhok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.