Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Addis Ababa and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Addis Ababa: $1,306 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Addis Ababa
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Addis Ababa Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,306

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,306 in Addis Ababa versus $1,585 in Sofia.

Addis Ababa $1,306
Sofia $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,918 in Addis Ababa versus $2,486 in Sofia.

Addis Ababa $1,918
Sofia $2,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,531 in Addis Ababa versus $3,387 in Sofia.

Addis Ababa $2,531
Sofia $3,387

Living in Addis Ababa costs roughly 18% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Addis Ababa is 3% below, Sofia is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 ETB 658

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-75.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.97 ETB 6,748

$67.7 BGN 118

-37.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.59 ETB 1,060

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-43.58%

Cappuccino

$0.94 ETB 152

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-72.43%

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

$0.60 ETB 96.2

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-74.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ETB 103

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-61.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.79 ETB 127

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-80.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ETB 372

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-49.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 ETB 170

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-45.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 188

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-24.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 ETB 305

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-19.15%

Eggs

$1.73 ETB 279

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-62.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 ETB 1,204

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-34.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.20 ETB 1,641

$8.65 BGN 15.04

17.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.96 ETB 1,441

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-48.33%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 ETB 841

$2.15 BGN 3.73

143.26%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 ETB 103

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-67.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ETB 360

$1.83 BGN 3.18

22.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 ETB 112

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-83.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ETB 75.2

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-54.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ETB 176

$0.89 BGN 1.54

22.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ETB 112

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 92.0

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-31.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.99 ETB 1,284

$4.40 BGN 7.66

81.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 ETB 895

$7.42 BGN 12.91

-25.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ETB 113

$1.16 BGN 2.01

-39.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 ETB 197

$1.90 BGN 3.30

-35.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 ETB 78.1

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-46.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.46 ETB 3,450

$28.11 BGN 48.91

-23.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ETB 207

$1.67 BGN 2.90

-22.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.01

$0.85 BGN 1.49

-68.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ETB 325

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-87.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ETB 146

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-47.70%

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

$55.2K ETB 8.9M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

84.40%

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

$55.1K ETB 8.9M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

120.12%

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

$205 ETB 33.0K

$158 BGN 275

30.12%

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

$7.50 ETB 1,206

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-64.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$216 ETB 34.7K

$15.12 BGN 26.30

1326.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.62 ETB 7,175

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-4.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.90 ETB 5,933

$27.82 BGN 48.41

32.64%

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ETB 615

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-61.70%

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

$610 ETB 98.1K

$815 BGN 1,419

-25.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K ETB 3.2M

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

37.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.49 ETB 5,224

$87.1 BGN 152

-62.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.1 ETB 11.3K

$38.28 BGN 66.6

83.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 ETB 13.0K

$106 BGN 184

-23.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.2 ETB 14.7K

$107 BGN 187

-14.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 ETB 112.2K

$769 BGN 1,338

-9.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 ETB 62.4K

$593 BGN 1,032

-34.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,281 ETB 366.7K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

49.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 ETB 123.4K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-27.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,967 ETB 316.2K

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-56.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$994 ETB 159.9K

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-68.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$208 ETB 33.5K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-88.29%

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 Addis Ababa: 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

Addis Ababa

$429 32.8%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 54.7% $234

Accommodation & Living

Addis Ababa

$388 29.7%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 52.7% $205

Groceries & Markets

Addis Ababa

$210 16.1%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 37.1% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Addis Ababa

$124 9.5%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 23.1% $29

Eating Out

Addis Ababa

$77 5.9%

Sofia

$254 16% 228% $176

Sport & Entertainment

Addis Ababa

$52 4%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 27.9% $15

Getting Around

Addis Ababa

$26 2%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 45% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $698 in Addis Ababa and $769 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 8.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $42 in Addis Ababa vs $68 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $288 per month, with Addis Ababa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

11:30 11:30 AM

1 h behind Addis Ababa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500,000 Capital

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 6, 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 6, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Addis Ababa Sofia 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Addis Ababa
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

Addis Ababa vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,306 in Addis Ababa and $1,585 in Sofia, so Addis Ababa is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Addis Ababa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $698 in Addis Ababa versus $769 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,306 per month in Addis Ababa versus $1,585 in Sofia – Addis Ababa is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Addis Ababa runs roughly 24% less than in Sofia. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Addis Ababa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Addis Ababa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.