Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Ibb

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibb: $882 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Ibb
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Ibb Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Ibb

🇾🇪 Yemen

$882

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Ibb

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $882 in Ibb.

Sofia $1,585
Ibb $882

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,453 in Ibb.

Sofia $2,486
Ibb $1,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,024 in Ibb.

Sofia $3,387
Ibb $2,024

Living in Sofia is roughly 80% more expensive than in Ibb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Ibb is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$6.16 YER 1,454

168.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$19.26 YER 4,543

251.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$9.04 YER 2,132

29.20%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 YER 468

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 YER 589

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.78 YER 892

-9.79%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.16 YER 274

103.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.49 YER 115

240.82%

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

$2.06 YER 485

-5.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.98 YER 230

58.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.09 YER 492

12.44%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$3.59 YER 847

28.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$14.22 YER 3,354

-19.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$8.22 YER 1,940

5.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$18.59 YER 4,385

-6.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$3.33 YER 786

-35.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.05 YER 248

88.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.17 YER 512

-15.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.71 YER 404

149.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.54 YER 362

-32.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.38 YER 326

-35.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.88 YER 208

35.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.63 YER 149

31.75%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.51 YER 591

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 YER 441

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 YER 590

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.90 YER 920

12.82%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.10 YER 496

-20.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$2.65 YER 626

-67.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$7.50 YER 1,770

121.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$2.03 YER 480

-14.29%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$17.1K YER 4.0M

74.88%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$35.2K YER 8.3M

-28.84%

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

$158 BGN 275

$64.4 YER 15.2K

145.20%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$16.13 YER 3,805

31.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$29.81 YER 7,032

-49.28%

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

$5.84 YER 1,377

71.23%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$24.31 YER 5,736

3254.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$2,332 YER 550.2K

527.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$29.09 YER 6,862

199.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$124 YER 29.2K

-69.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$48.65 YER 11.5K

117.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$40.49 YER 9,553

164.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$317 YER 74.9K

142.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$256 YER 60.4K

131.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$777 YER 183.2K

97.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$628 YER 148.1K

68.94%

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

$361 YER 85.2K

392.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

11.25

-74.31%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ibb: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Ibb

$256 29% 56.8% $337

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Ibb

$251 28.5% 12.7% $36

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Ibb

$128 14.6% 49.4% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Ibb

$110 12.5% 43.2% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Ibb

$109 12.3% 28.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Ibb

$12 * 1.3% 82.5% $55

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Ibb

$15 * 1.7% 59.3% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $317 in Ibb. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $19 in Ibb for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $251 per month, with Ibb cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇾🇪 Ibb

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

208,844

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, 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).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Ibb 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Ibb

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 Ibb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ibb is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sofia is about 4.9 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 $317 in Ibb. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $882 in Ibb – Ibb is about 44% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $882 in Ibb versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ibb but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Ibb 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.

It comes down to priorities – Ibb wins on affordability, Sofia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.