Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antananarivo and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Antananarivo: $649 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Antananarivo
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Antananarivo Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Antananarivo

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$649

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $649 per month in Antananarivo vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Antananarivo $649
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,001 per month in Antananarivo vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Antananarivo $1,001
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $1,354 per month in Antananarivo vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Antananarivo $1,354
Sofia $3,387

Antananarivo is about 59% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Antananarivo sits 52% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.60 MGA 11.9K

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-84.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.83 MGA 90.6K

$67.7 BGN 118

-70.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 MGA 24.6K

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-53.94%

Cappuccino

$1.60 MGA 7,328

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-53.08%

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

$0.76 MGA 3,477

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-67.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MGA 1,897

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-74.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 MGA 4,435

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-75.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 MGA 9,855

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-52.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 MGA 4,225

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-52.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 MGA 4,625

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-34.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 MGA 3,175

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-70.64%

Eggs

$2.00 MGA 9,134

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-56.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 MGA 38.0K

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-27.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 MGA 20.3K

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-48.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.68 MGA 21.4K

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-73.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 MGA 4,744

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-51.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 MGA 2,433

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-73.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 MGA 4,541

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-45.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.82 MGA 3,762

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-80.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 MGA 2,656

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-44.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 MGA 4,149

$0.89 BGN 1.54

2.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 MGA 1,577

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-70.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 MGA 3,217

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-15.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.58 MGA 7,207

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-64.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.94 MGA 22.6K

$7.42 BGN 12.91

-33.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MGA 4,479

$1.16 BGN 2.01

-15.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 MGA 8,111

$1.90 BGN 3.30

-6.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 MGA 561

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-86.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 MGA 15.6K

$1.67 BGN 2.90

104.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 MGA 10.2K

$0.85 BGN 1.49

163.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 MGA 20.7K

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-72.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 MGA 5,311

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-33.33%

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

$11.6K MGA 53.1M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-61.17%

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

$24.8K MGA 113.6M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-0.66%

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

$73.6 MGA 336.3K

$158 BGN 275

-53.39%

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

$16.88 MGA 77.2K

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-20.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.2 MGA 257.1K

$15.12 BGN 26.30

271.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.59 MGA 130.7K

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-38.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.13 MGA 32.6K

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-74.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.47 MGA 25.0K

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-45.30%

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

$24.67 MGA 112.7K

$815 BGN 1,419

-96.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.3K MGA 124.7M

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

86.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.87 MGA 132.0K

$87.1 BGN 152

-66.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.99 MGA 123.3K

$38.28 BGN 66.6

-29.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 MGA 342.9K

$106 BGN 184

-28.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.7 MGA 309.3K

$107 BGN 187

-36.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$320 MGA 1.5M

$769 BGN 1,338

-58.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 MGA 679.0K

$593 BGN 1,032

-74.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$726 MGA 3.3M

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-52.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 MGA 1.5M

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-69.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$669 MGA 3.1M

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-85.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$574 MGA 2.6M

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-81.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$130 MGA 596.2K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-92.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.75

2.89

444.98%

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

Last update for Antananarivo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Antananarivo

$149 22.9%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 299% $445

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antananarivo

$147 22.6%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 32.4% $48

Groceries & Markets

Antananarivo

$139 21.5%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 106% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Antananarivo

$89 13.8%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 70.3% $63

Eating Out

Antananarivo

$70 10.8%

Sofia

$254 16% 262% $184

Sport & Entertainment

Antananarivo

$40 6.1%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 69.1% $27

Getting Around

Antananarivo

$15 * 2.3%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 150% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $320 in Antananarivo 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 14 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Antananarivo versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $139 vs $288 – making Antananarivo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Antananarivo

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

14:10 2:10 PM

13:10 1:10 PM

1 h behind Antananarivo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,274,225 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MGA – Malagasy Ariary Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇬 Malagasy Ariary (Ar)

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4,571 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 5,133 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.95 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 MGA in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Antananarivo Sofia 7,290 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Antananarivo
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

Antananarivo vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 144%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $973 per month in Antananarivo 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 Antananarivo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $320 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $649 in Antananarivo and $1,585 in Sofia. That makes Antananarivo about 59% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $25 per month in Antananarivo and $815 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Antananarivo, where all-in costs run around $649, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Antananarivo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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