Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Madaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Madaba: $767 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Madaba
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Madaba Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Madaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Madaba

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $767 in Madaba, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Madaba $767

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,355 in Madaba, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Madaba $1,355

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,943 in Madaba, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Madaba $1,943

Sofia costs about 107% more than Madaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Madaba is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$5.81 JOD 4.11

185.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$50.2 JOD 35.52

34.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.21 JOD 4.40

88.08%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.50 JOD 2.48

-2.57%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.63 JOD 0.45

274.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.57 JOD 0.41

192.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$4.29 JOD 3.04

-6.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$6.90 JOD 4.88

-34.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.39 JOD 0.99

39.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.70 JOD 0.49

121.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.52 JOD 1.08

54.61%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.67 JOD 1.18

175.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$4.32 JOD 3.06

165.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.72 JOD 4.05

51.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$12.77 JOD 9.04

35.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.57 JOD 1.82

-16.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.39 JOD 0.98

42.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.78 JOD 1.26

2.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.70 JOD 0.49

510.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.72 JOD 0.51

44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.69 JOD 0.49

28.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.36 JOD 0.26

230.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.58 JOD 0.41

43.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.07 JOD 1.46

112.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$20.75 JOD 14.69

-64.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$4.95 JOD 3.50

-76.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$5.08 JOD 3.60

-62.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.88 JOD 0.63

4.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$70.7 JOD 50.0

-60.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.58 JOD 0.41

187.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.44 JOD 1.02

-40.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.93 JOD 4.91

139.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.43 JOD 1.01

21.68%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$32.8K JOD 23.2K

-8.64%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$33.6K JOD 23.8K

-25.51%

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

$158 BGN 275

$69.4 JOD 49.08

127.63%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$14.01 JOD 9.92

51.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$21.40 JOD 15.15

-29.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$27.90 JOD 19.75

67.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$70.0 JOD 49.54

-60.26%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$11.48 JOD 8.13

-12.89%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$42.29 JOD 29.94

1828.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$9,271 JOD 6,562

57.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$63.7 JOD 45.06

36.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$56.8 JOD 40.17

-32.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$70.6 JOD 49.97

49.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$42.72 JOD 30.24

150.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$214 JOD 152

259.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$43.02 JOD 30.45

1278.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$421 JOD 298

263.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$212 JOD 150

400.42%

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

$487 JOD 344

265.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.94

-58.36%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Madaba: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Madaba

$43 5.6% 92.7% $550

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Madaba

$234 30.5% 18.8% $54

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Madaba

$147 19.2% 42% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Madaba

$105 13.7% 46.1% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Madaba

$105 13.7% 30.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Madaba

$51 6.6% 23.9% $16

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Madaba

$82 10.7% 117% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $214 in Madaba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sofia are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $50 in Madaba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $234 – making Madaba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇯🇴 Madaba

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

21:09 9:09 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

65,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, 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).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.795 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Madaba 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Madaba

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 Madaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 107% more than Madaba, 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 $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,150 in Madaba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Madaba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $214 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $50 in Madaba. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $767 in Madaba. That makes Madaba about 52% cheaper.

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

If budget matters most, go with Madaba. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.