Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Homs

For one person, living is cheaper in Homs: $525 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Homs
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Homs Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Homs

🇸🇾 Syria

$525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Homs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $525 in Homs.

Sofia $1,585
Homs $525

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $791 in Homs.

Sofia $2,486
Homs $791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,058 in Homs.

Sofia $3,387
Homs $1,058

Living in Sofia is roughly 202% more expensive than in Homs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Homs is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$3.02 SYP 368

448.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$11.89 SYP 1,445

469.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.96 SYP 845

67.82%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$0.61 SYP 73.6

459.02%

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

$0.49 SYP 59.4

240.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.94 SYP 236

105.67%

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

$0.81 SYP 98.2

139.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.42 SYP 50.9

269.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.55 SYP 189

51.61%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.59 SYP 193

189.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$3.93 SYP 478

191.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.75 SYP 699

50.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$12.10 SYP 1,471

43.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$0.61 SYP 74.1

252.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.40 SYP 170

41.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.62 SYP 75.9

195.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.33 SYP 40.47

1193.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.59 SYP 72.3

76.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.81 SYP 98.2

9.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.27 SYP 32.46

340.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.62 SYP 75.5

33.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$1.51 SYP 184

191.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$3.69 SYP 448

101.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$0.68 SYP 83.2

70.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.79 SYP 339

-31.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.18 SYP 21.65

411.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$14.85 SYP 1,805

89.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.97 SYP 118

72.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.46 SYP 177

-41.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$2.03 SYP 247

717.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.27 SYP 154

37.01%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$13.3K SYP 1.6M

125.88%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$19.1K SYP 2.3M

30.67%

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

$158 BGN 275

$93.8 SYP 11.4K

68.22%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$9.46 SYP 1,149

124.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$46.69 SYP 5,673

-67.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$9.94 SYP 1,208

371.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.55 SYP 674

80.18%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$55.1 SYP 6,694

1379.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$896 SYP 108.9K

1534.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$4.90 SYP 596

1677.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$20.07 SYP 2,439

90.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$60.7 SYP 7,373

74.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$29.86 SYP 3,628

258.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$126 SYP 15.3K

509.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$51.5 SYP 6,251

1052.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$354 SYP 43.1K

331.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$136 SYP 16.6K

677.58%

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

$72.9 SYP 8,859

2341.76%

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 Homs: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Homs

$51 9.8% 91.3% $542

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Homs

$146 27.8% 49.4% $142

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Homs

$81 15.4% 68.1% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Homs

$150 28.6% 22.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Homs

$52 9.9% 65.8% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Homs

$21 4% 68.5% $46

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Homs

$24 4.5% 36.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $126 in Homs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 24 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $12 in Homs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $146 per month, with Homs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇾 Homs

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

652,609

💱 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 Homs 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Homs

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 Homs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Homs is about 67% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sofia is about 24 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $126 in Homs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $55 in Homs. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 98% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $525 in Homs versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Homs but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Homs the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Homs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.