Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Mashhad, Iraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $756 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
Learn more

Mashhad Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Mashhad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $756 in Mashhad.

Sofia $1,585
Mashhad $756

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,119 in Mashhad.

Sofia $2,486
Mashhad $1,119

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,481 in Mashhad.

Sofia $3,387
Mashhad $1,481

Living in Sofia is roughly 110% more expensive than in Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Mashhad is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$4.49 IQD 6,781

269.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

153.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

73.55%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.71 IQD 4,100

25.83%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.36 IQD 542

555.56%

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

$3.37 IQD 5,090

18.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.39 IQD 5,126

33.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.91 IQD 1,368

113.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.73 IQD 1,106

112.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.32 IQD 1,997

78.03%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$0.82 IQD 1,242

460.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$3.41 IQD 5,157

236.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$1.98 IQD 2,985

336.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$2.95 IQD 4,463

487.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.03 IQD 1,556

108.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$0.91 IQD 1,377

117.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.87 IQD 1,321

110.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.64 IQD 971

567.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.59 IQD 898

76.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.56 IQD 840

58.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.31 IQD 474

283.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.21 IQD 321

295.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$0.77 IQD 1,168

471.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

-37.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.92 IQD 2,898

-39.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.87 IQD 2,832

1.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.34 IQD 520

170.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.96 IQD 2,965

-14.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.31 IQD 1,972

-35.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.42 IQD 9,699

158.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.54 IQD 810

222.22%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

78.27%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

51.37%

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

$158 BGN 275

$191 IQD 288.5K

-17.33%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

9.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

-60.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

27.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

3.20%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$143 IQD 215.6K

471.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

358.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

240.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

12.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

79.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

152.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$212 IQD 319.9K

263.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$139 IQD 210.6K

325.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$378 IQD 571.7K

304.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$319 IQD 482.6K

232.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$862 IQD 1.3M

425.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$491 IQD 742.5K

532.71%

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 Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Mashhad

$139 18.4% 76.5% $454

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Mashhad

$115 15.2% 60.1% $173

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Mashhad

$115 15.1% 54.8% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Mashhad

$249 32.9% 28.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Mashhad

$72 9.6% 52.4% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Mashhad

$56 7.4% 16% $11

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3% 73.8% $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 $212 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $27 in Mashhad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $115 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

13,000

💱 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 = 5.9 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Mashhad 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Mashhad

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $756 in Mashhad, so Mashhad is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,378 in Sofia and $1,134 in Mashhad 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 $212 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $143 in Mashhad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mashhad – a meal for two runs $27 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $756 in Mashhad versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad 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 Mashhad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.