Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Ben Arous

For one person, living is cheaper in Ben Arous: $698 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Ben Arous
Learn more

Ben Arous Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Ben Arous

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Ben Arous

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $698 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Ben Arous $698

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,098 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Ben Arous $1,098

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,497 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Ben Arous $1,497

Sofia costs about 128% more than Ben Arous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Ben Arous is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$5.31 TND 15.90

217.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$19.81 TND 59.3

232.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$5.06 TND 15.14

123.72%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.16 TND 3.48

195.69%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$0.65 TND 1.95

270.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.27 TND 0.81

585.19%

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

$2.04 TND 6.12

124.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.52 TND 1.54

288.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.10 TND 0.29

1460.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.70 TND 5.08

37.06%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$1.48 TND 4.43

194.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.27 TND 30.76

14.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$5.91 TND 17.70

49.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$17.19 TND 51.5

1.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.67 TND 5.01

28.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$4.47 TND 13.38

-55.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$0.95 TND 2.84

103.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$0.80 TND 2.41

430.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.90 TND 2.69

15.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.66 TND 1.97

28.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.52 TND 1.56

121.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.31 TND 0.93

187.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.49 TND 10.46

20.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.62 TND 19.82

12.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.00 TND 2.99

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.23 TND 3.68

50.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.38 TND 1.14

128.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$13.56 TND 40.61

110.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.31 TND 0.93

441.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.31 TND 0.92

203.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$1.75 TND 5.23

777.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$0.86 TND 2.58

96.51%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$39.9K TND 119.6K

-25.41%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$23.0K TND 69.0K

13.41%

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

$156 BGN 272

$53.9 TND 162

189.41%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$9.87 TND 29.56

118.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$20.83 TND 62.4

-26.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$32.08 TND 96.1

43.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$16.52 TND 49.46

69.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$5.11 TND 15.29

99.22%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$61.0 TND 183

1169.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$1,947 TND 5,830

557.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$43.31 TND 130

107.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$60.2 TND 180

-31.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$85.8 TND 257

22.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$46.95 TND 141

127.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$209 TND 626

274.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$156 TND 467

282.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$386 TND 1,155

293.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$267 TND 799

286.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$933 TND 2,795

366.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$415 TND 1,243

665.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$247 TND 739

603.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

10.5

-72.48%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ben Arous: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Ben Arous

$156 22.4% 73.9% $441

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Ben Arous

$204 29.3% 29.7% $86

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Ben Arous

$88 12.6% 65.6% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Ben Arous

$85 12.1% 56.1% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Ben Arous

$106 15.2% 31.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Ben Arous

$42 6.1% 36.3% $24

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Ben Arous

$17 2.4% 55.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $209 in Ben Arous. 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 604% 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 $20.00 in Ben Arous. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $204 – making Ben Arous the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇳 Ben Arous

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

23:16 11:16 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

88,322

💱 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 Ben Arous 1,300 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Ben Arous

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 Ben Arous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $698 in Ben Arous – roughly 128% 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 $1,047 in Ben Arous. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $20.00 in Ben Arous. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $698 in Ben Arous. That's a gap of about 128%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ben Arous, where all-in costs run around $698, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Ben Arous 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 $698 in Ben Arous 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 Ben Arous. 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.