Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adama and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Adama: $1,024 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Adama
Learn more

Adama Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Adama

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,024

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Adama 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 Adama and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,024 per month in Adama vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Adama $1,024
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,683 per month in Adama vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Adama $1,683
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $2,341 per month in Adama vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Adama $2,341
Sofia $3,387

Adama is about 35% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Adama sits 24% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.08 ETB 495

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-81.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.10 ETB 6,931

$67.7 BGN 118

-36.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 ETB 791

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-57.88%

Cappuccino

$0.89 ETB 143

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-73.90%

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

$0.59 ETB 95.1

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ETB 50.4

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-81.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.82 ETB 131

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-79.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ETB 370

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-49.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 ETB 124

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-60.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 ETB 194

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-21.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 ETB 340

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-10.21%

Eggs

$1.74 ETB 280

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-62.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.60 ETB 1,222

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-33.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.14 ETB 1,630

$8.65 BGN 15.04

17.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.37 ETB 1,506

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-45.96%

Apples (1kg)

$5.48 ETB 882

$2.15 BGN 3.73

154.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 ETB 103

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-67.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ETB 356

$1.83 BGN 3.18

20.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 ETB 107

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-84.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 ETB 79.2

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-52.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ETB 169

$0.89 BGN 1.54

17.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ETB 103

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-46.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 92.1

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-31.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 ETB 1,262

$4.40 BGN 7.66

78.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.47 ETB 880

$7.42 BGN 12.91

-26.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$1.16 BGN 2.01

-41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 ETB 203

$1.90 BGN 3.30

-33.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ETB 207

$1.67 BGN 2.90

-22.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ETB 46.98

$0.85 BGN 1.49

-65.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 ETB 317

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-88.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ETB 153

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-45.40%

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

$54.1K ETB 8.7M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

80.74%

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

$55.7K ETB 9.0M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

122.79%

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

$204 ETB 32.8K

$158 BGN 275

29.25%

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

$7.15 ETB 1,150

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-66.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$209 ETB 33.7K

$15.12 BGN 26.30

1284.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$3.68 ETB 592

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-63.20%

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

$625 ETB 100.4K

$815 BGN 1,419

-23.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

107.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.64 ETB 5,409

$87.1 BGN 152

-61.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.0 ETB 11.4K

$38.28 BGN 66.6

85.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 ETB 12.8K

$106 BGN 184

-24.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.0 ETB 13.2K

$107 BGN 187

-23.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 ETB 56.2K

$769 BGN 1,338

-54.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 ETB 32.4K

$593 BGN 1,032

-66.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 ETB 163.3K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-33.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$793 ETB 127.5K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-25.25%

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)

$101 ETB 16.2K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-94.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

2.89

540.14%

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

Last update for Adama: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adama

$420 41.1%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 53.8% $226

Groceries & Markets

Adama

$210 20.5%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 36.9% $78

Accommodation & Living

Adama

$201 19.7%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 195% $392

Clothing & Footwear

Adama

$120 11.7%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 27.1% $32

Eating Out

Adama

$62 6.1%

Sofia

$254 16% 307% $191

Sport & Entertainment

Adama

$7.4 * 0.7%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 808% $59

Getting Around

Adama

$2.8 * 0.3%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 1272% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $349 in Adama versus $769 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 in Sofia are about 18 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Adama versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $288 – making Adama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Adama

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

01:41 1:41 AM

1 h behind Adama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,623

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 181 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

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 to ETB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Adama Sofia 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Adama
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

Adama vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,024 in Adama, $1,585 in Sofia – Adama comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,536 per month in Adama and $2,378 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Adama, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $349 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Adama and $68 in Sofia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,024 in Adama and $1,585 in Sofia, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Adama – 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 Adama. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.