Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Ariana

For one person, living is cheaper in Ariana: $666 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Ariana
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Ariana Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Ariana

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Ariana

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $666 in Ariana, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Ariana $666

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,039 in Ariana, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Ariana $1,039

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,413 in Ariana, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Ariana $1,413

Sofia costs about 139% more than Ariana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Ariana is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$4.44 TND 13.29

279.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$17.44 TND 52.3

277.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$4.77 TND 14.29

137.32%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.11 TND 3.33

209.01%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$0.66 TND 1.97

265.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.33 TND 1.00

460.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.65 TND 4.95

124.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$1.38 TND 4.12

231.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.52 TND 1.56

288.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.26 TND 0.78

500.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.77 TND 5.30

31.64%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$1.55 TND 4.64

181.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$7.27 TND 21.79

61.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.03 TND 18.06

46.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$11.19 TND 33.52

56.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.66 TND 4.97

29.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.65 TND 7.93

-25.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.12 TND 3.34

72.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$0.76 TND 2.28

457.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.80 TND 2.40

30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.71 TND 2.11

19.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.52 TND 1.57

121.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.33 TND 0.99

169.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.43 TND 10.28

22.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.78 TND 20.30

10.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.24 TND 3.70

-7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.58 TND 4.73

17.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.35 TND 1.04

148.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$10.04 TND 30.07

184.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.30 TND 0.89

460.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.33 TND 1.00

184.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$1.75 TND 5.25

777.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$0.82 TND 2.44

106.10%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$37.3K TND 111.7K

-20.08%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$33.3K TND 99.7K

-21.47%

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

$156 BGN 272

$59.8 TND 179

161.18%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$9.20 TND 27.55

134.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$20.51 TND 61.4

-25.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$31.26 TND 93.6

47.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$16.96 TND 50.8

64.62%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$4.36 TND 13.07

133.49%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$103 TND 308

653.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$3,289 TND 9,850

289.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$38.46 TND 115

133.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$58.2 TND 174

-29.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$90.1 TND 270

16.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$65.7 TND 197

62.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$244 TND 731

220.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$160 TND 479

273.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$441 TND 1,322

243.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$292 TND 876

252.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,110 TND 3,324

291.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$732 TND 2,193

333.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$331 TND 991

424.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

10.67

-72.91%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ariana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Ariana

$160 24% 73.2% $437

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Ariana

$172 25.8% 40.8% $119

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Ariana

$78 11.7% 69.3% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Ariana

$89 13.4% 53.6% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Ariana

$114 17% 26.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Ariana

$40 6% 39.8% $26

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Ariana

$13 2% 65.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $244 in Ariana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 425% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $17.00 in Ariana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $172 – making Ariana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇳 Ariana

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

22:24 10:24 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

114,486

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Ariana 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Ariana

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 Ariana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $666 in Ariana – roughly 139% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,000 in Ariana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ariana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 69% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $17.00 in Ariana. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ariana, where all-in costs run around $666, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Ariana 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 $666 in Ariana to $1,594 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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