Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Az-Zarqa and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Az-Zarqa: $716 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Az-Zarqa
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Az-Zarqa Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Az-Zarqa

🇯🇴 Jordan

$716

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Az-Zarqa and in Sofia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $716 in Az-Zarqa versus $1,585 in Sofia.

Az-Zarqa $716
Sofia $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,083 in Az-Zarqa versus $2,486 in Sofia.

Az-Zarqa $1,083
Sofia $2,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,450 in Az-Zarqa versus $3,387 in Sofia.

Az-Zarqa $1,450
Sofia $3,387

Living in Az-Zarqa costs roughly 55% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Az-Zarqa is 47% below, Sofia is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.30 JOD 3.04

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-74.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.92 JOD 17.64

$67.7 BGN 118

-63.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 JOD 3.95

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-52.14%

Cappuccino

$0.80 JOD 0.57

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-76.54%

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

$0.44 JOD 0.31

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-81.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 JOD 0.25

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-79.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.16 JOD 2.95

$3.99 BGN 6.94

4.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.85 JOD 7.68

$4.53 BGN 7.88

139.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-25.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 JOD 0.31

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-71.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 JOD 1.09

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-34.47%

Eggs

$1.78 JOD 1.26

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-61.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.05 JOD 3.58

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-55.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 JOD 3.77

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-38.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.41 JOD 5.95

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-51.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 JOD 1.06

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-30.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 JOD 0.90

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-35.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 JOD 0.84

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-34.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 JOD 0.45

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-85.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 JOD 0.60

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-18.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 JOD 0.61

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-2.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 JOD 0.42

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-50.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 JOD 0.36

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-39.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 JOD 2.53

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-18.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.02 JOD 4.97

$7.42 BGN 12.91

-5.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.31 JOD 3.05

$1.16 BGN 2.01

271.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 JOD 3.03

$1.90 BGN 3.30

125.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 JOD 0.42

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-34.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.43 JOD 15.17

$28.11 BGN 48.91

-23.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 JOD 0.45

$1.67 BGN 2.90

-62.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 JOD 0.97

$0.85 BGN 1.49

61.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 JOD 3.56

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-69.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 JOD 1.03

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-16.09%

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

$16.9K JOD 11.9K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-43.70%

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

$22.1K JOD 15.7K

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-11.53%

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

$132 JOD 93.6

$158 BGN 275

-16.24%

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

$12.99 JOD 9.20

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-38.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.75 JOD 20.35

$15.12 BGN 26.30

90.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.65 JOD 20.28

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-38.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.83 JOD 9.79

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-50.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 JOD 6.90

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-2.50%

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

$213 JOD 151

$815 BGN 1,419

-73.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,297 JOD 3,041

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-70.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.45 JOD 15.18

$87.1 BGN 152

-75.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.97 JOD 9.89

$38.28 BGN 66.6

-63.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.20 JOD 31.28

$106 BGN 184

-58.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.72 JOD 28.82

$107 BGN 187

-62.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 JOD 116

$769 BGN 1,338

-78.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 JOD 86.9

$593 BGN 1,032

-79.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$305 JOD 216

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-80.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$243 JOD 172

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-77.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$564 JOD 399

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-87.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$348 JOD 246

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-88.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$499 JOD 353

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-71.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.94

2.89

140.14%

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

Last update for Az-Zarqa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Az-Zarqa

$179 25%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 60.8% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Az-Zarqa

$174 24.3%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 11.7% $20

Accommodation & Living

Az-Zarqa

$123 17.2%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 383% $470

Eating Out

Az-Zarqa

$106 14.9%

Sofia

$254 16% 138% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Az-Zarqa

$54 7.6%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 181% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Az-Zarqa

$48 6.7%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 38.8% $19

Getting Around

Az-Zarqa

$31 4.4%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 20.5% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $164 in Az-Zarqa and $769 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Az-Zarqa vs $68 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $179 vs $288 per month, with Az-Zarqa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Az-Zarqa

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

1 h behind Az-Zarqa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

395,227

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇴 Jordanian Dinar (د.ا)

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.795 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 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 JOD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Az-Zarqa Sofia 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Az-Zarqa
Sofia

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

Az-Zarqa vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $716 in Az-Zarqa and $1,585 in Sofia, so Az-Zarqa is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Az-Zarqa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $164 in Az-Zarqa versus $769 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $716 per month in Az-Zarqa versus $1,585 in Sofia – Az-Zarqa is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Az-Zarqa runs roughly 24% less than in Sofia. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $716 in Az-Zarqa versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Az-Zarqa but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Az-Zarqa 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.

Expats usually find Az-Zarqa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.