Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sulaymaniyah and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $667 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$667

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sulaymaniyah and in Bansko

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sulaymaniyah and in Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $667 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $968 in Bansko, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $667
Bansko $968

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $1,479 in Bansko, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $1,035
Bansko $1,479

A family of three spends $1,403 per month in Sulaymaniyah vs $1,989 in Bansko, rent included.

Sulaymaniyah $1,403
Bansko $1,989

Sulaymaniyah is about 31% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sulaymaniyah and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Sulaymaniyah 51% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 IQD 6,570

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-50.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.15 IQD 30.5K

$45.43 BGN 79.1

-55.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 IQD 8,935

$8.92 BGN 15.52

-33.74%

Cappuccino

$2.37 IQD 3,580

$2.33 BGN 4.06

1.72%

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

$0.43 IQD 644

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-71.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-75.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 IQD 4,890

$1.75 BGN 3.05

85.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 IQD 3,071

$2.01 BGN 3.49

1.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 IQD 1,732

$1.72 BGN 3.00

-33.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 IQD 1,306

$0.86 BGN 1.49

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 IQD 2,534

$1.46 BGN 2.55

15.07%

Eggs

$1.53 IQD 2,306

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-34.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 IQD 6,514

$9.54 BGN 16.60

-54.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.72 IQD 5,627

$6.30 BGN 10.96

-40.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 IQD 19.6K

$8.64 BGN 15.04

50.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 IQD 1,684

$1.32 BGN 2.29

-15.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 IQD 1,631

$1.65 BGN 2.86

-34.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,496

$1.74 BGN 3.02

-43.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 833

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-71.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.45 IQD 683

$0.95 BGN 1.66

-52.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 IQD 940

$0.72 BGN 1.26

-13.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 881

$0.55 BGN 0.96

5.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 IQD 634

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-28.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 IQD 2,956

$3.33 BGN 5.79

-41.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 IQD 15.2K

$5.08 BGN 8.84

97.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 IQD 2,532

$1.12 BGN 1.95

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 IQD 1,855

$1.73 BGN 3.01

-28.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 IQD 705

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-47.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 IQD 30.0K

$27.08 BGN 47.11

-26.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 IQD 3,017

$1.64 BGN 2.85

21.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 IQD 2,951

$0.91 BGN 1.59

114.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 IQD 7,164

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-52.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 864

$1.50 BGN 2.61

-62.00%

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

$17.6K IQD 26.7M

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

-38.23%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

-21.49%

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

$86.4 IQD 130.6K

$92.5 BGN 161

-6.57%

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

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

$14.59 BGN 25.39

-33.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.74 IQD 35.9K

$12.13 BGN 21.11

95.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.60 IQD 52.3K

$31.84 BGN 55.4

8.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 IQD 26.9K

$8.46 BGN 14.72

110.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.43 IQD 9,711

$5.51 BGN 9.59

16.70%

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

$150 IQD 226.9K

$227 BGN 395

-33.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,562 IQD 3.9M

$2,311 BGN 4,021

10.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.49 IQD 24.9K

$30.56 BGN 53.2

-46.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.41 IQD 33.9K

$18.95 BGN 32.97

18.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.43 IQD 55.0K

$45.80 BGN 79.7

-20.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.62 IQD 55.3K

$48.28 BGN 84.0

-24.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 IQD 282.3K

$510 BGN 887

-63.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 IQD 225.9K

$364 BGN 634

-58.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 IQD 621.8K

$624 BGN 1,085

-34.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 IQD 464.7K

$566 BGN 985

-45.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$703 IQD 1.1M

$1,166 BGN 2,028

-39.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$541 IQD 817.5K

$969 BGN 1,686

-44.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 IQD 758.7K

$1,680 BGN 2,923

-70.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.77

2.99

92.98%

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

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: November 3, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sulaymaniyah

$163 24.4%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 18.4% $30

Accommodation & Living

Sulaymaniyah

$150 22.4%

Bansko

$364 37.6% 144% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sulaymaniyah

$120 18%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 0.6% $0.7

Eating Out

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.5%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 42.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Sulaymaniyah

$50 7.6%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 28.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7.1%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 9.7% $4.6

Getting Around

Sulaymaniyah

$33 5%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 10% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $187 in Sulaymaniyah versus $510 in Bansko. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bansko are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Sulaymaniyah versus $45 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $163 vs $193 – making Sulaymaniyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

10:11 10:11 AM

09:11 9:11 AM

1 h behind Sulaymaniyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

823,199

8,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

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).

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).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sulaymaniyah Bansko 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sulaymaniyah
Bansko

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

Sulaymaniyah vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $667 in Sulaymaniyah, $968 in Bansko – Sulaymaniyah comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,001 per month in Sulaymaniyah and $1,452 in Bansko. 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 $510 in Bansko.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Sulaymaniyah and $45 in Bansko. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $667 in Sulaymaniyah and $968 in Bansko. That makes Sulaymaniyah about 31% cheaper.

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, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.