Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ma'an and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ma’an: $840 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ma'an, Jordan
Sofia, Bulgaria
Ma'an
🇯🇴 Jordan
$840
/mo nomad
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,585
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $840 per month in Ma’an vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Ma'an $840
  • Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,390 per month in Ma’an vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Ma'an $1,390
  • Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $1,939 per month in Ma’an vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Ma'an $1,939
  • Sofia $3,387

Ma’an is about 47% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ma’an sits 38% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ma'an
Sofia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.24 JOD 5.13
$16.57 BGN 28.84
-56.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.6 JOD 50.7
$67.7 BGN 118
5.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.19 JOD 5.09
$11.68 BGN 20.33
-38.44%
Cappuccino
$4.47 JOD 3.17
$3.41 BGN 5.93
31.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 JOD 0.45
$2.36 BGN 4.11
-72.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 JOD 0.41
$1.67 BGN 2.91
-65.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.41 JOD 5.95
$3.99 BGN 6.94
110.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.98 JOD 7.77
$4.53 BGN 7.88
142.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ma'an
Sofia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 JOD 1.13
$1.94 BGN 3.38
-17.53%
White Bread (500g)
$0.65 JOD 0.46
$1.55 BGN 2.70
-58.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 JOD 1.13
$2.35 BGN 4.09
-32.34%
Eggs
$2.31 JOD 1.63
$4.60 BGN 8.00
-49.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.29 JOD 6.58
$11.47 BGN 19.96
-19.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.30 JOD 4.46
$8.65 BGN 15.04
-27.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.85 JOD 9.10
$17.34 BGN 30.17
-25.89%
Apples (1kg)
$2.58 JOD 1.83
$2.15 BGN 3.73
20.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.04 JOD 1.44
$1.98 BGN 3.45
3.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.79 JOD 1.27
$1.83 BGN 3.18
-2.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.84 JOD 0.59
$4.27 BGN 7.43
-80.33%
Potato (1kg)
$0.89 JOD 0.63
$1.04 BGN 1.82
-14.42%
Onion (1kg)
$0.79 JOD 0.56
$0.89 BGN 1.54
-11.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.62 JOD 0.44
$1.19 BGN 2.06
-47.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 JOD 0.47
$0.83 BGN 1.45
-20.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.78 JOD 2.68
$4.40 BGN 7.66
-14.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.05 JOD 14.90
$7.42 BGN 12.91
183.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.06 JOD 3.58
$1.16 BGN 2.01
336.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.87 JOD 3.44
$1.90 BGN 3.30
156.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Ma'an
Sofia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.92 BGN 1.60
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$28.11 BGN 48.91
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.58 JOD 0.41
$1.67 BGN 2.90
-65.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 JOD 0.97
$0.85 BGN 1.49
61.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.13 JOD 5.05
$16.59 BGN 28.87
-57.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.77 JOD 1.25
$1.74 BGN 3.03
1.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K JOD 23.4K
$29.9K BGN 52.1K
10.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.7K JOD 23.8K
$25.0K BGN 43.5K
34.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ma'an
Sofia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$137 JOD 96.8
$158 BGN 275
-13.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.46 JOD 10.94
$21.27 BGN 37.01
-27.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.38 JOD 22.92
$15.12 BGN 26.30
114.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ma'an
Sofia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$46.85 BGN 81.5
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$27.82 BGN 48.41
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.09 JOD 7.85
$10.00 BGN 17.39
10.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ma'an
Sofia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$540 JOD 382
$815 BGN 1,419
-33.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,415 JOD 6,664
$14.6K BGN 25.5K
-35.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ma'an
Sofia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.8 JOD 43.73
$87.1 BGN 152
-29.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$81.9 JOD 57.9
$38.28 BGN 66.6
113.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$127 JOD 90.1
$106 BGN 184
20.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.1 JOD 59.5
$107 BGN 187
-21.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ma'an
Sofia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$769 BGN 1,338
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$593 BGN 1,032
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,530 BGN 2,662
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,061 BGN 1,846
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,526 BGN 7,875
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,109 BGN 5,410
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ma'an
Sofia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,780 BGN 3,098
-
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 Ma'an: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Ma'an
$264
Sofia
$288 8.9% $24
Eating Out
Ma'an
$202
Sofia
$254 25.5% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ma'an
$185
Sofia
$194 5.2% $9.7
Clothing & Footwear
Ma'an
$160
Sofia
$152 4.7% $7.6
Sport & Entertainment
Ma'an
$22 *
Sofia
$67 201% $45
Getting Around
Ma'an
$7.4 *
Sofia
$38 408% $30
Accommodation & Living
Ma'an
- *
Sofia
$593

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Ma’an versus $68 in Sofia. Groceries tell a different story – $264 in Ma’an vs $288 in Sofia – so Ma’an wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇯🇴 Ma'an
🇧🇬 Sofia
🕒 Local time
07:34 7:34 AM
06:34 6:34 AM
1 h behind Ma'an
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
50,350
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
  • Ma'an Sofia 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ma'an
  • 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
Ma'an vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Ma’an and in Sofia compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $840 in Ma’an, $1,585 in Sofia – Ma’an comes out roughly 47% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Ma’an compared to Sofia?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,260 per month in Ma’an and $2,378 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Ma’an and $68 in Sofia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 9% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ma’an, where all-in costs run around $840, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Ma’an it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Ma’an and Sofia?
It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $840 in Ma’an to $1,585 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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