Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Beja

For one person, living is cheaper in Beja: $621 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Beja
Learn more

Beja Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Beja

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Beja

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $621 in Beja, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Beja $621

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,066 in Beja, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Beja $1,066

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,512 in Beja, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Beja $1,512

Sofia costs about 157% more than Beja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Beja is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$3.91 TND 11.72

331.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$16.43 TND 49.19

300.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$4.65 TND 13.93

143.44%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$0.60 TND 1.81

471.67%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$0.52 TND 1.54

363.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.25 TND 0.74

640.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.19 TND 3.56

210.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$1.70 TND 5.08

169.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.43 TND 1.29

369.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.14 TND 0.42

1014.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.63 TND 4.87

42.94%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$1.43 TND 4.29

204.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$8.04 TND 24.07

46.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.44 TND 19.28

37.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$13.25 TND 39.69

31.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.65 TND 4.94

30.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$4.59 TND 13.73

-56.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.07 TND 3.21

80.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$0.89 TND 2.66

376.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.59 TND 1.78

76.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.59 TND 1.77

44.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.48 TND 1.42

139.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.30 TND 0.91

196.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.29 TND 9.86

27.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$5.05 TND 15.12

47.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.22 TND 3.65

-5.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.35 TND 4.06

37.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.42 TND 1.25

107.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$15.10 TND 45.21

88.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.31 TND 0.94

441.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.39 TND 1.16

141.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$4.90 TND 14.68

213.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$0.74 TND 2.22

128.38%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$39.1K TND 117.1K

-23.78%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$35.9K TND 107.4K

-27.13%

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

$156 BGN 272

$44.26 TND 133

252.64%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$10.38 TND 31.09

107.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$19.74 TND 59.1

-22.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$19.68 TND 59.0

134.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$23.25 TND 69.6

20.09%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$3.39 TND 10.14

200.29%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$60.2 TND 180

1186.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$1,189 TND 3,560

977.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$55.8 TND 167

61.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$65.1 TND 195

-36.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$111 TND 333

-5.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$138 TND 414

-22.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$167 TND 501

368.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$83.4 TND 250

615.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$267 TND 801

467.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$287 TND 858

259.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$396 TND 1,185

999.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$105 TND 314

2928.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$337 TND 1,010

414.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-73.73%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Beja: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Beja

$83 13.4% 86% $513

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Beja

$186 30% 36% $105

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Beja

$65 10.5% 74.5% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Beja

$74 12% 61.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Beja

$167 26.8% 7.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Beja

$26 4.3% 60.2% $40

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Beja

$19 3.1% 50.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $167 in Beja. 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 414% 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 $16.00 in Beja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $186 – making Beja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇳 Beja

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

00:37 12:37 AM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

57,000

💱 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 Beja 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Beja

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 Beja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 157% more than Beja, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $931 in Beja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 89% less in Beja. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $60.2 in Beja. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beja, where all-in costs run around $621, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Beja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Beja costs $621 versus $1,594 in Sofia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Beja. 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.