Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Qom

For one person, living is cheaper in Qom: $436 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Qom
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Qom Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Qom

🇮🇷 Iran

$436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Qom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $436 in Qom.

Sofia $1,585
Qom $436

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $847 in Qom.

Sofia $2,486
Qom $847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,257 in Qom.

Sofia $3,387
Qom $1,257

Living in Sofia is roughly 263% more expensive than in Qom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Qom is 68% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$3.05 $3.05

443.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$15.89 $15.89

325.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$3.91 $3.91

198.72%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.01 $1.01

237.62%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.41 $0.41

475.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$1.73 $1.73

-3.47%

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

$0.53 $0.53

266.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.62 $0.62

150.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.70 $1.70

38.24%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.02 $1.02

350.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$2.81 $2.81

308.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.13 $3.13

176.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$7.45 $7.45

132.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$0.79 $0.79

172.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.46 $1.46

35.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.99 $0.99

84.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.47 $0.47

808.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.47 $0.47

121.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.43 $0.43

106.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.26 $0.26

357.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.26 $0.26

219.23%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 $0.47

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$1.22 $1.22

260.66%

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

$0.17 $0.17

441.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$14.48 $14.48

94.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.26 $0.26

542.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.25 $0.25

240.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$1.02 $1.02

1526.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.08 $0.08

2075.00%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$50.7K $50.7K

-41.01%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$46.1K $46.1K

-45.72%

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

$158 BGN 275

$12.79 $12.79

1134.25%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$1.27 $1.27

1574.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$3.97 $3.97

280.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$8.60 $8.60

444.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$9.86 $9.86

182.15%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$0.98 $0.98

920.41%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$108 $108

653.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$2,623 $2,623

458.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$15.29 $15.29

469.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$12.99 $12.99

194.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$100 $100

5.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$49.43 $49.43

116.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$237 $237

224.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$160 $160

270.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$578 $578

164.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$573 $573

85.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$885 $885

411.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$611 $611

409.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$216 $216

725.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

20.33

-85.78%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Qom: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Qom

$160 36.6% 73% $433

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Qom

$94 21.6% 67.3% $194

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Qom

$57 13% 77.6% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Qom

$18 4.1% 90.7% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Qom

$80 18.4% 47.3% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Qom

$11 2.4% 84.2% $56

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Qom

$17 3.8% 55.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $237 in Qom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 8.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $16 in Qom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $94 per month, with Qom cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇷 Qom

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

01:08 1:08 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,075,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Qom 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Qom

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 Qom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qom wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Qom the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Sofia is about 8.3 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 $237 in Qom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Qom – a meal for two runs $16 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $436 in Qom – Qom is about 72% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $436 in Qom versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $800 budget is realistic in Qom but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Qom 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.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Qom are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Qom gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.