Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $667 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
Learn more

Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Sulaymaniyah

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $667 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Sulaymaniyah $667

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,035 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Sulaymaniyah $1,035

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,403 in Sulaymaniyah, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Sulaymaniyah $1,403

Sofia costs about 138% more than Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Sulaymaniyah is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$4.35 IQD 6,570

280.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$20.15 IQD 30.5K

235.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$5.91 IQD 8,935

97.63%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.37 IQD 3,580

43.88%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.43 IQD 644

448.84%

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

$3.24 IQD 4,890

23.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.03 IQD 3,071

123.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.15 IQD 1,732

68.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.86 IQD 1,306

80.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.68 IQD 2,534

39.88%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.53 IQD 2,306

200.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$4.31 IQD 6,514

166.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.72 IQD 5,627

132.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$12.96 IQD 19.6K

33.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.11 IQD 1,684

93.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.08 IQD 1,631

83.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.99 IQD 1,496

84.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.55 IQD 833

676.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.45 IQD 683

131.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.62 IQD 940

43.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.58 IQD 881

105.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.42 IQD 634

97.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$1.96 IQD 2,956

124.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$10.04 IQD 15.2K

-26.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.68 IQD 2,532

-30.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.23 IQD 1,855

54.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.47 IQD 705

95.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$19.85 IQD 30.0K

41.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.00 IQD 3,017

-16.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.95 IQD 2,951

-56.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$4.74 IQD 7,164

250.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.57 IQD 864

205.26%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$17.6K IQD 26.7M

69.69%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

50.04%

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

$158 BGN 275

$86.4 IQD 130.6K

82.64%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

118.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$23.74 IQD 35.9K

-36.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$34.60 IQD 52.3K

35.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$17.82 IQD 26.9K

56.12%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.43 IQD 9,711

55.52%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$150 IQD 226.9K

443.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$2,562 IQD 3.9M

471.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$16.49 IQD 24.9K

428.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$22.41 IQD 33.9K

70.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$36.43 IQD 55.0K

189.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$36.62 IQD 55.3K

192.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$187 IQD 282.3K

311.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$150 IQD 225.9K

296.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$412 IQD 621.8K

271.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$308 IQD 464.7K

244.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$703 IQD 1.1M

544.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$541 IQD 817.5K

474.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$502 IQD 758.7K

254.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

5.77

-49.91%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$150 22.4% 74.8% $444

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Sulaymaniyah

$163 24.4% 43.4% $125

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.5% 59.1% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Sulaymaniyah

$120 18% 38.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$50 7.6% 66.9% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1% 29% $19

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$33 5% 11.2% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $187 in Sulaymaniyah. 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 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $20 in Sulaymaniyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $163 – making Sulaymaniyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

14:51 2:51 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

823,199

💱 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 Sulaymaniyah 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Sulaymaniyah

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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $667 in Sulaymaniyah – Sulaymaniyah comes out roughly 58% 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 $1,001 in Sulaymaniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sulaymaniyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $187 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $667 in Sulaymaniyah. That makes Sulaymaniyah about 58% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Sulaymaniyah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sulaymaniyah, where all-in costs run around $667, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Sulaymaniyah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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