Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Aden

For one person, living is cheaper in Aden: $1,393 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sofia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Aden
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Aden Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Aden

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,393

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Aden

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sofia and in Aden actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,393 in Aden, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Aden $1,393

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $2,349 in Aden, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Aden $2,349

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $3,305 in Aden, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Aden $3,305

Sofia costs about 14% more than Aden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Aden sit above the global median – Sofia by 17%, Aden by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$12.60 YER 2,972

31.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$35.83 YER 8,452

88.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$10.26 YER 2,420

13.84%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 YER 850

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 YER 1,021

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$4.03 YER 950

-15.38%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$3.21 YER 757

-26.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$1.75 YER 414

-4.57%

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)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$5.19 YER 1,225

-62.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$2.43 YER 574

-36.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$9.62 YER 2,271

-75.57%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$10.53 YER 2,483

-56.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$8.56 YER 2,020

34.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$15.62 YER 3,684

-44.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$55.8 YER 13.2K

-68.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$13.54 YER 3,195

-84.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$3.64 YER 859

-45.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$10.14 YER 2,393

-81.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$4.69 YER 1,107

-8.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$4.24 YER 1,001

-75.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$4.14 YER 977

-78.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.24 YER 292

-4.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$1.38 YER 327

-39.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$6.33 YER 1,494

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 YER 1,003

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$5.09 YER 1,202

-13.56%

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)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.34 YER 81.3

170.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$2.77 YER 653

-37.18%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

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

$158 BGN 275

$50.9 YER 12.0K

210.26%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$9.90 YER 2,335

114.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$25.46 YER 6,007

84.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$10.08 YER 2,378

175.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.01 YER 1,418

66.39%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$33.81 YER 7,975

2311.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$5,275 YER 1.2M

177.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$109 YER 25.8K

-20.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$86.2 YER 20.3K

-55.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$109 YER 25.8K

-3.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$162 YER 38.2K

-33.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$239 YER 56.4K

221.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$259 YER 61.2K

128.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$838 YER 197.8K

82.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$535 YER 126.1K

98.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$605 YER 142.8K

647.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$444 YER 104.7K

600.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$386 YER 91.2K

360.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-73.73%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Aden: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Aden

$259 18.6% 56.3% $334

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Aden

$624 44.8% 117% $336

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Aden

$200 14.3% 21.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Aden

$61 * 4.4% 68.7% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Aden

$210 15.1% 38.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Aden

$37 2.7% 43.9% $29

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Aden

$1.4 * 0.1% 96.3% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $239 in Aden. 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 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $36 in Aden. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Sofia vs $624 in Aden – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇾🇪 Aden

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

508,489

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Aden 3,930 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Aden

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

Sofia vs Aden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 14% more than Aden, 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 $2,378 per month in Sofia and $2,090 in Aden. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aden, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $239 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,393 in Aden. That makes Aden about 12% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $34 in Aden. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,585 in Sofia and $1,393 in Aden. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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