Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iran and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Iran: $495 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Iran
Sofia, Bulgaria
🇮🇷 Iran
$495
/mo nomad
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,585
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Iran is 63.6% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 68.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Iran is 64.8% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 67.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Iran
Sofia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.30 $3.30
$16.57 BGN 28.84
-80.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.06 $16.06
$67.7 BGN 118
-76.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.12 $4.12
$11.68 BGN 20.33
-64.73%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.84 $0.84
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 $1.14
-
-
Cappuccino
$1.17 $1.17
$3.41 BGN 5.93
-65.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 $0.54
$2.36 BGN 4.11
-77.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 $0.92
$1.67 BGN 2.91
-44.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.99 BGN 6.94
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.53 BGN 7.88
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Iran
Sofia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.62 $0.62
$1.94 BGN 3.38
-68.04%
White Bread (500g)
$0.50 $0.50
$1.55 BGN 2.70
-67.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.36 $2.36
$2.35 BGN 4.09
0.43%
Eggs
$1.12 $1.12
$4.60 BGN 8.00
-75.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.64 $3.64
$11.47 BGN 19.96
-68.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.01 $3.01
$8.65 BGN 15.04
-65.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.80 $9.80
$17.34 BGN 30.17
-43.48%
Apples (1kg)
$0.97 $0.97
$2.15 BGN 3.73
-54.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 $1.49
$1.98 BGN 3.45
-24.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.88 $0.88
$1.83 BGN 3.18
-51.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.58 $0.58
$4.27 BGN 7.43
-86.42%
Potato (1kg)
$0.48 $0.48
$1.04 BGN 1.82
-53.85%
Onion (1kg)
$0.49 $0.49
$0.89 BGN 1.54
-44.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.49 $0.49
$1.19 BGN 2.06
-58.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.25 $0.25
$0.83 BGN 1.45
-69.88%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.02 $1.02
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 $0.53
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.39 $1.39
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.14 $2.14
$4.40 BGN 7.66
-51.36%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$7.42 BGN 12.91
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.16 BGN 2.01
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.90 BGN 3.30
-
🚌 Getting Around
Iran
Sofia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.16 $0.16
$0.92 BGN 1.60
-82.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.09 $10.09
$28.11 BGN 48.91
-64.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 $0.48
$1.67 BGN 2.90
-71.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.29 $0.29
$0.85 BGN 1.49
-65.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.44 $2.44
$16.59 BGN 28.87
-85.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.30 $0.30
$1.74 BGN 3.03
-82.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$58.9K $58.9K
$29.9K BGN 52.1K
96.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$52.9K $52.9K
$25.0K BGN 43.5K
111.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iran
Sofia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$13.82 $13.82
$158 BGN 275
-91.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$2.24 $2.24
$21.27 BGN 37.01
-89.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.49 $6.49
$15.12 BGN 26.30
-57.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Iran
Sofia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.50 $16.50
$46.85 BGN 81.5
-64.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.32 $12.32
$27.82 BGN 48.41
-55.72%
Cinema Ticket
$1.46 $1.46
$10.00 BGN 17.39
-85.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Iran
Sofia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$80.2 $80.2
$815 BGN 1,419
-90.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,168 $1,168
$14.6K BGN 25.5K
-92.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Iran
Sofia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.51 $22.51
$87.1 BGN 152
-74.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.70 $26.70
$38.28 BGN 66.6
-30.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 $103
$106 BGN 184
-2.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.8 $60.8
$107 BGN 187
-43.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Iran
Sofia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$251 $251
$769 BGN 1,338
-67.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$177 $177
$593 BGN 1,032
-70.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$560 $560
$1,530 BGN 2,662
-63.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$337 $337
$1,061 BGN 1,846
-68.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$993 $993
$4,526 BGN 7,875
-78.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$604 $604
$3,109 BGN 5,410
-80.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Iran
Sofia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$244 $244
$1,780 BGN 3,098
-86.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
23.49
2.89
712.80%

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

Last update for Iran: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Iran
$177
Sofia
$593 234% $416
Groceries & Markets
Iran
$108
Sofia
$288 166% $180
Clothing & Footwear
Iran
$96
Sofia
$152 58.6% $56
Eating Out
Iran
$59
Sofia
$254 332% $195
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iran
$23
Sofia
$194 761% $172
Sport & Entertainment
Iran
$19
Sofia
$67 244% $47
Getting Around
Iran
$13
Sofia
$38 198% $25
Good to know
🇮🇷 Iran
🇧🇬 Sofia
🕒 Local time
22:21 10:21 PM
20:51 8:51 PM
1 h 30 min behind Iran
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
86,758,304
1,286,383 Capital
💱 Currency
USD USD
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, EUR to USD – USD Converter

USD exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Iran Sofia 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Iran
  • 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

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