Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad, Iran and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $464 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
Learn more

Mashhad Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Mashhad

🇮🇷 Iran

$464

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $464 per month in Mashhad vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Mashhad $464
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $759 per month in Mashhad vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Mashhad $759
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $1,054 per month in Mashhad vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Mashhad $1,054
Sofia $3,387

Mashhad is about 71% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mashhad sits 66% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 $3.07

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-81.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.75 $18.75

$67.7 BGN 118

-72.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.06 $5.06

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-56.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.56 $0.56

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 $0.92

Cappuccino

$1.09 $1.09

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-68.04%

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

$0.43 $0.43

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-81.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 $0.26

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-84.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 $0.61

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-68.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.21 $0.21

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-86.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-17.02%

Eggs

$1.15 $1.15

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-75.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-81.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-68.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.43 $10.43

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-39.85%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 $0.87

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-59.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-21.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-56.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 $0.63

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-85.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-52.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-46.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-56.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 $0.27

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-67.47%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.86 $0.86

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 $0.79

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 $3.08

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-30.00%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.02 $0.02

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-97.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.66 $3.66

$28.11 BGN 48.91

-86.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.18 $0.18

$1.67 BGN 2.90

-89.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.85 BGN 1.49

-42.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-87.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-55.17%

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

$59.8K $59.8K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

99.72%

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

$67.7K $67.7K

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

170.54%

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

$14.81 $14.81

$158 BGN 275

-90.62%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-89.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.20 $20.20

$15.12 BGN 26.30

33.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.54 $19.54

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-58.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.96 $14.96

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-46.23%

Cinema Ticket

$1.97 $1.97

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-80.30%

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

$41.44 $41.44

$815 BGN 1,419

-94.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$625 $625

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-95.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.06 $20.06

$87.1 BGN 152

-76.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.31 $39.31

$38.28 BGN 66.6

2.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 $95.3

$106 BGN 184

-9.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 $70.1

$107 BGN 187

-34.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$199 $199

$769 BGN 1,338

-74.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$141 $141

$593 BGN 1,032

-76.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 $402

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-73.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 $263

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-75.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,124 $1,124

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-75.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$687 $687

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-77.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 $249

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-86.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

730.45%

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

Last update for Mashhad: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mashhad

$141 30.3%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 322% $453

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$101 21.8%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 50.4% $51

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$100 21.5%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 188% $188

Eating Out

Mashhad

$56 12%

Sofia

$254 16% 356% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mashhad

$37 8%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 423% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$23 5.1%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 185% $43

Getting Around

Mashhad

$6.4 1.4%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 493% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $199 in Mashhad 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 7.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mashhad versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $100 vs $288 – making Mashhad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Mashhad

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

1 h 30 min behind Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,001,184

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

USD USD

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 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).

BGN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mashhad Sofia 3,170 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mashhad
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

Mashhad vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 242% more than Mashhad, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $696 per month in Mashhad and $2,378 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mashhad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $199 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $464 in Mashhad and $1,585 in Sofia. That makes Mashhad about 71% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 87% less in Mashhad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mashhad, where all-in costs run around $464, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Mashhad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mashhad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Mashhad. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.