Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Irbid and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Irbid: $780 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Irbid, Jordan
Sofia, Bulgaria
Irbid
🇯🇴 Jordan
$780
/mo nomad
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,585
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $780 per month in Irbid vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Irbid $780
  • Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,238 per month in Irbid vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Irbid $1,238
  • Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $1,697 per month in Irbid vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Irbid $1,697
  • Sofia $3,387

Irbid is about 51% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Irbid sits 42% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Irbid
Sofia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.33 JOD 3.07
$16.57 BGN 28.84
-73.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.12 JOD 30.52
$67.7 BGN 118
-36.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.01 JOD 4.96
$11.68 BGN 20.33
-39.98%
Cappuccino
$1.47 JOD 1.04
$3.41 BGN 5.93
-56.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 JOD 0.33
$2.36 BGN 4.11
-80.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 JOD 0.24
$1.67 BGN 2.91
-79.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.42 JOD 4.55
$3.99 BGN 6.94
60.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.03 JOD 4.27
$4.53 BGN 7.88
33.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Irbid
Sofia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 JOD 0.84
$1.94 BGN 3.38
-39.18%
White Bread (500g)
$0.45 JOD 0.32
$1.55 BGN 2.70
-70.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 JOD 1.11
$2.35 BGN 4.09
-33.19%
Eggs
$1.83 JOD 1.29
$4.60 BGN 8.00
-60.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.03 JOD 5.69
$11.47 BGN 19.96
-29.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.73 JOD 3.35
$8.65 BGN 15.04
-45.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.77 JOD 9.04
$17.34 BGN 30.17
-26.36%
Apples (1kg)
$1.39 JOD 0.99
$2.15 BGN 3.73
-35.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 JOD 1.10
$1.98 BGN 3.45
-21.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.04 JOD 0.74
$1.83 BGN 3.18
-43.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.58 JOD 0.41
$4.27 BGN 7.43
-86.42%
Potato (1kg)
$0.97 JOD 0.69
$1.04 BGN 1.82
-6.73%
Onion (1kg)
$0.85 JOD 0.60
$0.89 BGN 1.54
-4.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 JOD 0.48
$1.19 BGN 2.06
-42.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 JOD 0.48
$0.83 BGN 1.45
-18.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.48 JOD 2.46
$4.40 BGN 7.66
-20.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.23 JOD 5.12
$7.42 BGN 12.91
-2.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 JOD 2.05
$1.16 BGN 2.01
150.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.15 JOD 2.94
$1.90 BGN 3.30
118.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Irbid
Sofia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.72 JOD 0.51
$0.92 BGN 1.60
-21.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$28.11 BGN 48.91
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 JOD 0.34
$1.67 BGN 2.90
-71.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.42 JOD 1.01
$0.85 BGN 1.49
67.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.22 JOD 5.11
$16.59 BGN 28.87
-56.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.66 JOD 1.18
$1.74 BGN 3.03
-4.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.0K JOD 19.1K
$29.9K BGN 52.1K
-9.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.1K JOD 22.7K
$25.0K BGN 43.5K
28.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Irbid
Sofia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.7 JOD 69.1
$158 BGN 275
-38.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.67 JOD 11.09
$21.27 BGN 37.01
-26.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.47 JOD 22.27
$15.12 BGN 26.30
108.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Irbid
Sofia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.00 JOD 24.78
$46.85 BGN 81.5
-25.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.07 JOD 14.91
$27.82 BGN 48.41
-24.26%
Cinema Ticket
$10.01 JOD 7.08
$10.00 BGN 17.39
0.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Irbid
Sofia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$92.0 JOD 65.1
$815 BGN 1,419
-88.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,062 JOD 2,875
$14.6K BGN 25.5K
-72.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Irbid
Sofia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.37 JOD 30.70
$87.1 BGN 152
-50.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.95 JOD 19.78
$38.28 BGN 66.6
-26.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 JOD 57.1
$106 BGN 184
-23.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$50.2 JOD 35.52
$107 BGN 187
-53.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Irbid
Sofia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$222 JOD 157
$769 BGN 1,338
-71.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$165 JOD 117
$593 BGN 1,032
-72.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$386 JOD 274
$1,530 BGN 2,662
-74.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$300 JOD 213
$1,061 BGN 1,846
-71.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$515 JOD 365
$4,526 BGN 7,875
-88.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$501 JOD 355
$3,109 BGN 5,410
-83.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Irbid
Sofia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$560 JOD 396
$1,780 BGN 3,098
-68.55%
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 Irbid: 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
Irbid
$192
Sofia
$288 49.7% $96
Accommodation & Living
Irbid
$165
Sofia
$593 259% $428
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Irbid
$145
Sofia
$194 34.1% $49
Eating Out
Irbid
$121
Sofia
$254 110% $133
Clothing & Footwear
Irbid
$91
Sofia
$152 67.3% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Irbid
$55
Sofia
$67 21.5% $12
Getting Around
Irbid
$10 *
Sofia
$38 260% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Irbid versus $769 in Sofia. 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 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Irbid versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $288 – making Irbid the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇯🇴 Irbid
🇧🇬 Sofia
🕒 Local time
07:34 7:34 AM
06:34 6:34 AM
1 h behind Irbid
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
292,000
1,286,383 Capital
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Irbid Sofia 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Irbid
  • 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
Irbid vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Irbid or Sofia?
Sofia costs about 103% more than Irbid, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Irbid and in Sofia?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,169 per month in Irbid and $2,378 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Irbid or Sofia?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Irbid, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $222 there versus $769 in Sofia.
How much does it cost to live in Irbid compared to Sofia?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $780 in Irbid and $1,585 in Sofia. That makes Irbid about 51% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Irbid and in Sofia?
Kindergarten costs $92 per month in Irbid and $815 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Irbid – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Irbid compared to Sofia?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Irbid or to Sofia?
If budget matters most, go with Irbid. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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