Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Zanjan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanjan: $425 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Zanjan
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Zanjan Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Zanjan

🇮🇷 Iran

$425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Zanjan

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $425 in Zanjan, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Zanjan $425

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $762 in Zanjan, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Zanjan $762

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,100 in Zanjan, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Zanjan $1,100

Sofia costs about 273% more than Zanjan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Zanjan is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$2.97 $2.97

457.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$13.16 $13.16

414.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$2.98 $2.98

291.95%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$0.96 $0.96

255.21%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.50 $0.50

372.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$1.18 $1.18

41.53%

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

$0.70 $0.70

177.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.57 $0.57

171.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$3.17 $3.17

-25.87%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.31 $1.31

251.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$4.35 $4.35

163.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.35 $3.35

158.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$9.07 $9.07

91.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.02 $1.02

110.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.53 $1.53

29.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.81 $0.81

125.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.45 $0.45

848.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.50 $0.50

108.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.46 $0.46

93.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.40 $0.40

197.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.24 $0.24

245.83%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.73 $0.73

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$1.74 $1.74

152.87%

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

$0.18 $0.18

411.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$10.11 $10.11

178.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.31 $0.31

438.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.29 $0.29

193.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$0.99 $0.99

1575.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.03 $0.03

5700.00%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$49.2K $49.2K

-39.13%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$45.0K $45.0K

-44.45%

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

$158 BGN 275

$12.93 $12.93

1120.88%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$1.59 $1.59

1237.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$3.96 $3.96

281.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$12.57 $12.57

272.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$12.54 $12.54

121.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$2.03 $2.03

392.61%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$108 $108

653.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$2,566 $2,566

470.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$26.44 $26.44

229.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$38.51 $38.51

-0.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$115 $115

-7.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$74.0 $74.0

44.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$133 $133

476.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$98.2 $98.2

504.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$383 $383

298.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$310 $310

241.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$802 $802

463.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$461 $461

574.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$291 $291

511.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-87.43%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Zanjan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Zanjan

$98 23.1% 83.4% $495

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Zanjan

$114 26.9% 60.3% $173

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Zanjan

$51 12% 79.9% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Zanjan

$18 4.4% 90.5% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Zanjan

$114 26.8% 25% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Zanjan

$17 3.9% 75.1% $50

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Zanjan

$13 3% 66.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $133 in Zanjan. 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 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $13 in Zanjan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $114 – making Zanjan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇷 Zanjan

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

22:21 10:21 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

386,851

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Zanjan 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Zanjan

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 Zanjan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $425 in Zanjan – Zanjan comes out roughly 73% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $638 in Zanjan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zanjan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $133 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $425 in Zanjan. That makes Zanjan about 73% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Zanjan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zanjan, where all-in costs run around $425, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Zanjan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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