Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Amol

For one person, living is cheaper in Amol: $539 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Amol
Learn more

Amol Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Amol

🇮🇷 Iran

$539

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Amol

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $539 in Amol.

Sofia $1,585
Amol $539

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $855 in Amol.

Sofia $2,486
Amol $855

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,171 in Amol.

Sofia $3,387
Amol $1,171

Living in Sofia is roughly 194% more expensive than in Amol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Amol is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$3.08 $3.08

437.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$15.91 $15.91

325.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$4.06 $4.06

187.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.48 $0.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 $0.83

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.36 $1.36

150.74%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.46 $0.46

413.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.88 $0.88

89.77%

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

$0.57 $0.57

240.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.59 $0.59

162.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.08 $2.08

12.98%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.23 $1.23

273.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$4.45 $4.45

157.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.40 $3.40

154.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$10.31 $10.31

68.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.46 $1.46

47.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.81 $1.81

9.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.74 $0.74

147.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.67 $0.67

537.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.56 $0.56

85.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.43 $0.43

106.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.48 $0.48

147.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.27 $0.27

207.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.84 $0.84

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 $1.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$0.98 $0.98

348.98%

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

$0.13 $0.13

607.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$9.40 $9.40

199.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.48 $0.48

247.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.29 $0.29

193.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$2.97 $2.97

458.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.10 $0.10

1640.00%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$50.7K $50.7K

-40.90%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$46.6K $46.6K

-46.32%

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

$158 BGN 275

$13.18 $13.18

1097.72%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$1.59 $1.59

1237.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$4.00 $4.00

278.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$16.55 $16.55

183.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$16.04 $16.04

73.44%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$1.52 $1.52

557.89%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$107 $107

662.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$2,445 $2,445

498.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$19.59 $19.59

344.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$20.46 $20.46

87.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$116 $116

-8.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$73.6 $73.6

45.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$353 $353

118.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$209 $209

183.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$781 $781

95.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$355 $355

198.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$922 $922

390.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$421 $421

638.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$224 $224

696.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

24.79

-88.34%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Amol: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Amol

$209 38.8% 64.8% $384

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Amol

$118 21.9% 58.9% $170

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Amol

$59 10.9% 76.9% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Amol

$19 3.5% 90.3% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Amol

$103 19.2% 32.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Amol

$20 3.6% 70.7% $47

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Amol

$12 2.2% 68.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $353 in Amol. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $16 in Amol for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $118 per month, with Amol cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇷 Amol

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

22:28 10:28 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

225,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Amol 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Amol

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 Amol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $539 in Amol, so Amol is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sofia is about 8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $353 in Amol. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $539 in Amol – Amol is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Amol runs roughly 67% less than in Sofia. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $539 in Amol versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Amol but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Amol the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Amol gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.