Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Ajlun

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajlun: $940 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sofia, Bulgaria
Ajlun, Jordan
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,585
/mo nomad
Ajlun
🇯🇴 Jordan
$940
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Ajlun

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 Ajlun actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $940 in Ajlun, rent included.

  • Sofia $1,585
  • Ajlun $940

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,503 in Ajlun, rent included.

  • Sofia $2,486
  • Ajlun $1,503

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,065 in Ajlun, rent included.

  • Sofia $3,387
  • Ajlun $2,065

Sofia costs about 69% more than Ajlun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Ajlun is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sofia
Ajlun
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.57 BGN 28.84
$7.15 JOD 5.06
131.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.7 BGN 118
$70.7 JOD 50.1
-4.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.68 BGN 20.33
$6.92 JOD 4.90
68.79%
Cappuccino
$3.41 BGN 5.93
$4.47 JOD 3.16
-23.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 BGN 4.11
$0.37 JOD 0.26
537.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 BGN 2.91
$0.41 JOD 0.29
307.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.99 BGN 6.94
$8.57 JOD 6.06
-53.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 BGN 7.88
$10.87 JOD 7.70
-58.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sofia
Ajlun
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.94 BGN 3.38
$1.38 JOD 0.98
40.58%
White Bread (500g)
$1.55 BGN 2.70
$0.66 JOD 0.47
134.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.35 BGN 4.09
$1.53 JOD 1.08
53.59%
Eggs
$4.60 BGN 8.00
$2.29 JOD 1.62
100.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.47 BGN 19.96
$9.26 JOD 6.55
23.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.65 BGN 15.04
$6.54 JOD 4.63
32.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.34 BGN 30.17
$12.67 JOD 8.97
36.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 BGN 3.73
$1.11 JOD 0.79
93.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 BGN 3.45
$1.14 JOD 0.81
73.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.83 BGN 3.18
$1.16 JOD 0.82
57.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.27 BGN 7.43
$0.76 JOD 0.54
461.84%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 BGN 1.82
$0.89 JOD 0.63
16.85%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 BGN 1.54
$0.69 JOD 0.49
28.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 BGN 2.06
$0.59 JOD 0.42
101.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 BGN 1.45
$0.66 JOD 0.47
25.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 BGN 7.66
$3.78 JOD 2.68
16.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.42 BGN 12.91
$20.79 JOD 14.71
-64.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 BGN 2.01
$5.11 JOD 3.62
-77.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.90 BGN 3.30
$4.93 JOD 3.49
-61.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Sofia
Ajlun
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.92 BGN 1.60
$0.57 JOD 0.40
61.40%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.11 BGN 48.91
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.67 BGN 2.90
$0.63 JOD 0.44
165.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 BGN 1.49
$1.38 JOD 0.98
-38.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.59 BGN 28.87
$7.19 JOD 5.09
130.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 BGN 3.03
$1.75 JOD 1.24
-0.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K BGN 52.1K
$33.1K JOD 23.4K
-9.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.0K BGN 43.5K
$34.3K JOD 24.2K
-26.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
Ajlun
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 BGN 275
$49.18 JOD 34.81
220.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.27 BGN 37.01
$13.94 JOD 9.87
52.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.12 BGN 26.30
$28.53 JOD 20.19
-47.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
Ajlun
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.85 BGN 81.5
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.82 BGN 48.41
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.00 BGN 17.39
$11.49 JOD 8.13
-12.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sofia
Ajlun
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$815 BGN 1,419
$541 JOD 383
50.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.6K BGN 25.5K
$9,363 JOD 6,627
56.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
Ajlun
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.1 BGN 152
$62.8 JOD 44.48
38.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.28 BGN 66.6
$79.1 JOD 56.0
-51.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 BGN 184
$124 JOD 87.7
-14.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 BGN 187
$81.7 JOD 57.8
31.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sofia
Ajlun
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$769 BGN 1,338
$284 JOD 201
170.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$593 BGN 1,032
$214 JOD 151
177.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,530 BGN 2,662
$424 JOD 300
261.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,061 BGN 1,846
$277 JOD 196
283.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,526 BGN 7,875
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,109 BGN 5,410
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sofia
Ajlun
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,780 BGN 3,098
$675 JOD 478
163.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.89
6.94
-58.36%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ajlun: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sofia
$593
Ajlun
$214 64% $379
Groceries & Markets
Sofia
$288
Ajlun
$246 14.4% $41
Eating Out
Sofia
$254
Ajlun
$199 21.4% $54
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
$194
Ajlun
$92 52.8% $103
Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
$152
Ajlun
$156 2.8% $4.2
Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
$67
Ajlun
$23 * 65.6% $44
Getting Around
Sofia
$38
Ajlun
$9.8 * 74% $28

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 $284 in Ajlun. 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 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $71 in Ajlun. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Sofia vs $246 in Ajlun – so Ajlun wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇧🇬 Sofia
🇯🇴 Ajlun
🕒 Local time
01:41 1:41 AM
02:41 2:41 AM
1 h ahead of Sofia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,286,383 Capital
125,557
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.795 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sofia Ajlun 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sofia
  • Ajlun

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 Ajlun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ajlun cheaper than Sofia?
Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,410 in Ajlun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ajlun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $284 there versus $769 in Sofia.
What are total monthly expenses in Sofia and in Ajlun?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $940 in Ajlun. That makes Ajlun about 41% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $541 in Ajlun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is Sofia or Ajlun more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Ajlun – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Sofia or Ajlun?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Ajlun. 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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