Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Babol

For one person, living is cheaper in Babol: $477 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Babol
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Babol Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Babol

🇮🇷 Iran

$477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Babol

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $477 in Babol, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Babol $477

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $735 in Babol, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Babol $735

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $992 in Babol, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Babol $992

Sofia costs about 232% more than Babol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Babol is 65% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$2.99 $2.99

454.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$10.78 $10.78

527.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$4.02 $4.02

190.55%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.48 $0.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 $0.70

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.10 $1.10

210.00%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.29 $0.29

713.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$1.71 $1.71

-2.34%

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

$0.69 $0.69

181.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.22 $0.22

604.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.46 $2.46

-4.47%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.17 $1.17

293.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$2.03 $2.03

465.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.35 $3.35

158.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$9.64 $9.64

79.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.23 $1.23

74.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.43 $1.43

38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.52 $0.52

251.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.48 $0.48

789.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.31 $0.31

235.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.31 $0.31

187.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.31 $0.31

283.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.13 $0.13

538.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.83 $0.83

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.28 $2.28

92.98%

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

$0.16 $0.16

475.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$9.68 $9.68

190.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.52 $0.52

221.15%

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

$2.95 $2.95

462.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.08 $0.08

2075.00%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$50.4K $50.4K

-40.56%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$29.9K $29.9K

-16.22%

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

$158 BGN 275

$13.00 $13.00

1114.31%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$1.61 $1.61

1221.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$3.87 $3.87

290.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$18.90 $18.90

147.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$13.35 $13.35

108.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$1.94 $1.94

415.46%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$49.43 $49.43

1549.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$2,421 $2,421

504.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$20.18 $20.18

331.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$14.98 $14.98

155.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$52.2 $52.2

102.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$38.87 $38.87

175.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$289 $289

165.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$211 $211

181.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$797 $797

92.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$352 $352

201.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$913 $913

395.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$608 $608

411.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$127 $127

1299.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

23.75

-87.83%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Babol: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Babol

$211 44.2% 64.4% $382

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Babol

$99 20.7% 65.6% $189

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Babol

$57 12% 77.4% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Babol

$18 3.9% 90.5% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Babol

$57 11.9% 62.7% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Babol

$23 4.8% 65.9% $44

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Babol

$12 2.6% 67.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $289 in Babol. 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 14 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $11 in Babol. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $99 – making Babol the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇷 Babol

🕒 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

220,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Babol 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Babol

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 Babol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $477 in Babol – Babol comes out roughly 70% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $716 in Babol. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Babol, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $289 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Babol. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $49 in Babol. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Babol, where all-in costs run around $477, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Babol it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Babol – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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