Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Accra and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Accra: $1,073 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Accra
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Accra Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Accra

🇬🇭 Ghana

$1,073

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Accra and in Sofia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Accra and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,073 per month in Accra vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Accra $1,073
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $1,700 per month in Accra vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Accra $1,700
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $2,327 per month in Accra vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Accra $2,327
Sofia $3,324

Accra is about 32% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Accra sits 20% below the global median, while Sofia is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.11 GHS 95.1

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-52.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.8 GHS 608

$66.9 BGN 117

-22.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 GHS 123

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-11.13%

Cappuccino

$4.51 GHS 52.9

$3.42 BGN 5.99

31.87%

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

$1.54 GHS 18.10

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 GHS 5.24

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-75.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 GHS 21.84

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-44.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 GHS 26.29

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-50.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.61 GHS 42.37

$1.92 BGN 3.36

88.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 GHS 18.64

$1.51 BGN 2.64

5.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 GHS 37.42

$2.21 BGN 3.88

44.34%

Eggs

$2.58 GHS 30.24

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-41.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 GHS 140

$11.56 BGN 20.22

3.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.02 GHS 82.3

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-20.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 GHS 116

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-41.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 GHS 43.24

$2.17 BGN 3.79

70.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 GHS 16.41

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-31.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 GHS 20.85

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-3.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 GHS 43.12

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-14.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 GHS 31.00

$1.03 BGN 1.80

156.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 GHS 30.68

$0.93 BGN 1.62

181.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 GHS 8.86

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-36.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 GHS 6.97

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-35.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.50 GHS 29.32

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-41.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 GHS 86.0

$7.33 BGN 12.83

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 GHS 14.99

$1.18 BGN 2.06

8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 GHS 26.89

$1.87 BGN 3.28

22.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 GHS 17.28

$0.87 BGN 1.52

68.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.26 GHS 472

$28.14 BGN 49.24

43.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 GHS 20.23

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-1.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 GHS 14.70

$0.96 BGN 1.68

30.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 GHS 48.79

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-73.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 GHS 15.06

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-28.49%

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

$8,061 GHS 94.6K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

-73.11%

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

$9,921 GHS 116.4K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

-62.37%

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

$74.8 GHS 877

$156 BGN 273

-52.07%

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

$18.90 GHS 222

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-10.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.82 GHS 491

$15.64 BGN 27.37

167.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 GHS 840

$46.76 BGN 81.8

53.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.07 GHS 212

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-34.86%

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 GHS 148

$10.02 BGN 17.53

25.65%

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

$470 GHS 5,510

$766 BGN 1,341

-38.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K GHS 218.4K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

45.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.28 GHS 167

$89.7 BGN 157

-84.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.36 GHS 215

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-55.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.02 GHS 423

$106 BGN 186

-66.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 GHS 615

$105 BGN 183

-49.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 GHS 8,109

$796 BGN 1,393

-13.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 GHS 3,286

$607 BGN 1,063

-53.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 GHS 12.8K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-30.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 GHS 5,480

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-55.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,799 GHS 32.8K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-35.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,424 GHS 16.7K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-56.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$175 GHS 2,048

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-89.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.75

2.89

825.61%

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

Last update for Accra: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Accra

$280 26.2%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 117% $327

Groceries & Markets

Accra

$277 25.9%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 3.8% $10

Eating Out

Accra

$172 16.1%

Sofia

$256 16% 48.7% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Accra

$135 12.7%

Sofia

$193 12% 42.3% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Accra

$97 9%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 31% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Accra

$54 5.1%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 182% $99

Getting Around

Accra

$54 5.1%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 29.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $691 in Accra versus $796 in Sofia. 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 897% 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 $52.0 in Accra versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $287 – making Accra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Accra

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

3 h ahead of Accra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,388,000 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.53 USD

100 GHS = 7.6 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.73 GHS (100 GHS = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 13.16 GHS (100 GHS = 7.6 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Accra Sofia 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Accra
Sofia

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

Accra vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,073 in Accra, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,610 per month in Accra and $2,384 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 4% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Accra and $67.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Accra, where all-in costs run around $1,073, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Accra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,073 in Accra to $1,589 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Accra. 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.