Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Al-qardahah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-qardahah: $642 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Al-qardahah
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Al-qardahah Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Al-qardahah

🇸🇾 Syria

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Al-qardahah

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 Al-qardahah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $642 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Al-qardahah $642

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,016 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Al-qardahah $1,016

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,390 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Al-qardahah $1,390

Sofia costs about 147% more than Al-qardahah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Al-qardahah is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$10.06 SYP 1,222

64.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$42.56 SYP 5,171

59.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.89 SYP 837

69.52%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.64 SYP 442

-6.32%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$2.23 SYP 272

5.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.86 SYP 105

94.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.94 SYP 236

105.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.90 SYP 474

16.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.05 SYP 128

84.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.45 SYP 54.3

244.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.61 SYP 196

45.96%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.57 SYP 191

192.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$3.98 SYP 484

188.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.56 SYP 676

55.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$13.71 SYP 1,666

26.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.03 SYP 126

108.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.38 SYP 168

43.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.14 SYP 138

60.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.07 SYP 130

299.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.79 SYP 95.6

31.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.76 SYP 91.9

17.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.44 SYP 53.5

170.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.66 SYP 80.1

25.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.71 SYP 329

62.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$4.94 SYP 600

50.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.15 SYP 140

0.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.81 SYP 342

-32.38%

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)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.99 SYP 120

68.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.49 SYP 181

-42.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$7.80 SYP 948

112.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$3.63 SYP 441

-52.07%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$15.0K SYP 1.8M

99.41%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$19.3K SYP 2.4M

29.33%

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

$158 BGN 275

$142 SYP 17.2K

11.26%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$9.67 SYP 1,175

119.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$45.85 SYP 5,571

-67.02%

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

$5.56 SYP 675

79.86%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$66.9 SYP 8,129

1118.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$1,770 SYP 215.1K

727.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$28.37 SYP 3,448

206.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$39.44 SYP 4,793

-2.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$61.0 SYP 7,407

73.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$57.8 SYP 7,021

85.50%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

14.25

-79.72%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Al-qardahah: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Al-qardahah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Al-qardahah

$167 26% 42.1% $121

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Al-qardahah

$175 27.2% 31.1% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Al-qardahah

$197 30.7% 1.6% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Al-qardahah

$84 13.1% 44.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Al-qardahah

$11 * 1.7% 83.4% $56

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Al-qardahah

$8.4 * 1.3% 77.7% $29

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 $68 in Sofia versus $43 in Al-qardahah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $167 – making Al-qardahah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇾 Al-qardahah

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

14:39 2:39 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, 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).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.33 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Al-qardahah 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Al-qardahah

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 Al-qardahah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 147%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $963 in Al-qardahah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $43 in Al-qardahah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 73% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-qardahah, where all-in costs run around $642, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Al-qardahah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $642 in Al-qardahah to $1,585 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.