Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Az-zabadani

For one person, living is cheaper in Az-zabadani: $643 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 Az-zabadani
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Az-zabadani Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Az-zabadani

🇸🇾 Syria

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Az-zabadani

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 Az-zabadani actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $643 in Az-zabadani, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Az-zabadani $643

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

Sofia $2,486
Az-zabadani $1,016

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

Sofia $3,387
Az-zabadani $1,390

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$9.98 SYP 1,213

66.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$42.01 SYP 5,106

61.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.91 SYP 840

69.03%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.82 SYP 464

-10.73%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$2.20 SYP 267

7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.82 SYP 99.5

103.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.96 SYP 238

103.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$4.04 SYP 491

12.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.02 SYP 124

90.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.45 SYP 54.8

244.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.53 SYP 186

53.59%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.58 SYP 192

191.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$3.98 SYP 483

188.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.68 SYP 691

52.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$13.52 SYP 1,643

28.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.07 SYP 130

100.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.41 SYP 171

40.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.14 SYP 139

60.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.06 SYP 129

302.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.74 SYP 90.3

40.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.76 SYP 92.0

17.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.40 SYP 48.58

197.50%

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

$2.69 SYP 327

63.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$4.93 SYP 599

50.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.14 SYP 139

1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.80 SYP 340

-32.14%

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

$0.97 SYP 118

72.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.54 SYP 187

-44.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$7.74 SYP 940

114.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$3.70 SYP 450

-52.97%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

98.16%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$18.9K SYP 2.3M

32.31%

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

$158 BGN 275

$140 SYP 17.0K

13.02%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$9.83 SYP 1,194

116.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$46.53 SYP 5,655

-67.50%

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

$5.36 SYP 651

86.57%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$65.9 SYP 8,005

1137.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$1,782 SYP 216.6K

721.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$29.00 SYP 3,524

200.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$40.16 SYP 4,881

-4.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$61.0 SYP 7,408

73.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$58.4 SYP 7,097

83.53%

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 Az-zabadani: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Az-zabadani

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Az-zabadani

$166 25.9% 42.3% $122

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Az-zabadani

$176 27.4% 30.5% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Az-zabadani

$196 30.5% 0.9% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Az-zabadani

$85 13.2% 44.2% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Az-zabadani

$11 * 1.7% 84% $56

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Az-zabadani

$8.7 * 1.4% 77% $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 $42 in Az-zabadani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $166 – making Az-zabadani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇾 Az-zabadani

🕒 Local time

13:25 1:25 PM

14:25 2:25 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

26,285

💱 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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Between locations

Sofia Az-zabadani 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Az-zabadani

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 Az-zabadani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 147% more than Az-zabadani, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $964 in Az-zabadani. 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 $42 in Az-zabadani. 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Az-zabadani, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Az-zabadani 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 $643 in Az-zabadani to $1,585 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.