Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and La Marsa

For one person, living is cheaper in La Marsa: $772 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in La Marsa
Learn more

La Marsa Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

La Marsa

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in La Marsa

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $772 in La Marsa, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
La Marsa $772

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,291 in La Marsa, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
La Marsa $1,291

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,809 in La Marsa, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
La Marsa $1,809

Sofia costs about 106% more than La Marsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while La Marsa is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$3.41 TND 10.21

394.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$20.34 TND 60.9

223.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$5.24 TND 15.69

116.03%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.30 TND 3.88

163.85%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$0.60 TND 1.79

301.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.26 TND 0.77

611.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.48 TND 4.44

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$1.98 TND 5.92

131.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.53 TND 1.60

281.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.31 TND 0.94

403.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.32 TND 6.96

0.43%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$1.85 TND 5.53

135.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$9.51 TND 28.49

23.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.65 TND 19.93

32.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$13.01 TND 38.98

34.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.03 TND 6.08

5.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$3.58 TND 10.71

-44.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.47 TND 4.42

31.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$0.67 TND 2.00

532.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.60 TND 1.79

73.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.65 TND 1.96

30.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.40 TND 1.21

187.50%

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

$3.64 TND 10.91

15.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.50 TND 19.47

14.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.27 TND 3.79

-9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.61 TND 4.84

14.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.34 TND 1.03

155.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$6.99 TND 20.93

308.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.29 TND 0.86

479.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.42 TND 1.27

123.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$4.10 TND 12.28

274.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$0.87 TND 2.60

94.25%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$36.9K TND 110.5K

-19.21%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$31.1K TND 93.1K

-15.91%

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

$156 BGN 272

$33.98 TND 102

359.33%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$12.23 TND 36.62

76.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$18.32 TND 54.9

-16.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$41.68 TND 125

10.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$7.45 TND 22.30

274.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$5.27 TND 15.80

93.17%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$59.5 TND 178

1201.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$2,560 TND 7,666

400.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$63.5 TND 190

41.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$69.4 TND 208

-40.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$90.9 TND 272

15.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$89.9 TND 269

18.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$288 TND 863

171.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$233 TND 697

156.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$707 TND 2,116

114.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$572 TND 1,712

80.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,831 TND 5,485

137.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,018 TND 3,049

212.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$334 TND 1,000

419.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-79.36%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for La Marsa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

La Marsa

$233 30.1% 61% $364

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

La Marsa

$198 25.6% 31.9% $93

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

La Marsa

$73 9.5% 71.2% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

La Marsa

$65 8.4% 66.5% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

La Marsa

$141 18.3% 8.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

La Marsa

$52 6.8% 21.4% $14

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

La Marsa

$11 1.4% 71.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $288 in La Marsa. 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 420% 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 La Marsa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $198 – making La Marsa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇳 La Marsa

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

00:59 12:59 AM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

92,987

💱 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 →

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Sofia La Marsa 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 La Marsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 106%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,159 in La Marsa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $772 in La Marsa. That's a gap of about 106%.

Public transport costs about 308% less in La Marsa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in La Marsa, where all-in costs run around $772, than in Sofia at $1,594. In La Marsa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 La Marsa. 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.