Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Damascus and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Damascus: $866 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Damascus
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Damascus Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Damascus

🇸🇾 Syria

$866

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Damascus 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 Damascus and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $866 in Damascus versus $1,585 in Sofia.

Damascus $866
Sofia $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,404 in Damascus versus $2,486 in Sofia.

Damascus $1,404
Sofia $2,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,943 in Damascus versus $3,387 in Sofia.

Damascus $1,943
Sofia $3,387

Living in Damascus costs roughly 45% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Damascus is 36% below, Sofia is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 SYP 1,229

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-38.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.10 SYP 5,237

$67.7 BGN 118

-36.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.21 SYP 876

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-38.27%

Cappuccino

$3.67 SYP 446

$3.41 BGN 5.93

7.62%

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

$2.28 SYP 277

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-3.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 SYP 108

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-46.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 SYP 233

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-51.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 SYP 484

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-11.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 SYP 126

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-46.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 SYP 50.4

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-73.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 SYP 198

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-30.64%

Eggs

$1.58 SYP 192

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-65.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.82 SYP 464

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-66.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.80 SYP 705

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-32.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.83 SYP 1,680

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-20.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 SYP 126

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-52.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 SYP 172

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-28.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 SYP 135

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-39.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 SYP 124

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-76.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 SYP 96.5

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-24.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 SYP 93.0

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-13.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 SYP 52.7

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-63.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 SYP 76.0

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-24.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 SYP 340

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-36.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 SYP 624

$7.42 BGN 12.91

-30.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 SYP 132

$1.16 BGN 2.01

-6.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 SYP 341

$1.90 BGN 3.30

47.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 SYP 25.46

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-77.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.81 SYP 949

$28.11 BGN 48.91

-72.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 SYP 119

$1.67 BGN 2.90

-41.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 SYP 181

$0.85 BGN 1.49

75.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 SYP 959

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-52.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.77 SYP 458

$1.74 BGN 3.03

116.67%

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

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-49.68%

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

$19.5K SYP 2.4M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-22.12%

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

$139 SYP 16.9K

$158 BGN 275

-12.07%

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

$9.53 SYP 1,158

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-55.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.09 SYP 5,721

$15.12 BGN 26.30

211.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.02 SYP 3,404

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-40.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 SYP 826

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-75.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.38 SYP 654

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-46.20%

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

$65.4 SYP 7,950

$815 BGN 1,419

-91.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,773 SYP 215.4K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-87.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.78 SYP 3,497

$87.1 BGN 152

-66.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 SYP 4,775

$38.28 BGN 66.6

2.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 SYP 7,403

$106 BGN 184

-42.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 SYP 7,168

$107 BGN 187

-44.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 SYP 62.4K

$769 BGN 1,338

-33.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 SYP 22.6K

$593 BGN 1,032

-68.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$864 SYP 104.9K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-43.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 SYP 56.6K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-56.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,725 SYP 209.5K

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-61.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$599 SYP 72.7K

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-80.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$78.6 SYP 9,553

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-95.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.25

2.89

393.08%

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

Last update for Damascus: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Damascus

$195 22.6%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 0.6% $1.2

Accommodation & Living

Damascus

$186 21.5%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 219% $407

Eating Out

Damascus

$177 20.4%

Sofia

$254 16% 43.4% $77

Groceries & Markets

Damascus

$167 19.3%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 72.3% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Damascus

$85 9.8%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 79.9% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Damascus

$39 4.5%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 72.4% $28

Getting Around

Damascus

$17 2%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 121% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $514 in Damascus and $769 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 23 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Damascus vs $68 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $167 vs $288 per month, with Damascus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Damascus

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

20:58 8:58 PM

1 h behind Damascus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,414,913 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇾 Syrian Pound (£)

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to SYP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Damascus Sofia 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Damascus
Sofia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Damascus vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $866 in Damascus and $1,585 in Sofia, so Damascus is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 96% lower in Damascus. 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: $514 in Damascus versus $769 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Damascus – a meal for two runs $43 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $866 per month in Damascus versus $1,585 in Sofia – Damascus is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $866 in Damascus versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Damascus but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Damascus 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 Damascus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.