Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Banjul and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Banjul: $674 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Banjul
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Banjul Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Banjul

🇬🇲 Gambia

$674

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $674 per month in Banjul vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Banjul $674
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $1,184 per month in Banjul vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Banjul $1,184
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $1,695 per month in Banjul vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Banjul $1,695
Sofia $3,324

Banjul is about 58% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Banjul sits 50% below the global median, while Sofia is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.29 GMD 532

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-57.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 GMD 5,328

$66.9 BGN 117

9.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 GMD 578

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-32.80%

Cappuccino

$3.76 GMD 274

$3.42 BGN 5.99

9.94%

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

$2.66 GMD 194

$2.42 BGN 4.23

9.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 GMD 112

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 GMD 398

$3.33 BGN 5.83

63.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 GMD 324

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-1.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 GMD 101

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-28.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 GMD 46.87

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-57.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 GMD 94.5

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-41.63%

Eggs

$1.97 GMD 144

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-55.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.16 GMD 450

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-46.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.63 GMD 192

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-70.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.45 GMD 398

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-67.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 GMD 150

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-5.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 GMD 88.7

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-40.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 GMD 128

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-4.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 GMD 96.7

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-69.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 GMD 64.4

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-14.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 GMD 73.0

$0.93 BGN 1.62

7.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 GMD 18.31

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-79.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 GMD 44.59

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-33.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.66 GMD 122

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-61.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.29 GMD 459

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-14.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 GMD 111

$1.18 BGN 2.06

29.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 GMD 123

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-9.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 GMD 13.59

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-78.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.40 GMD 468

$28.14 BGN 49.24

-77.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 GMD 51.7

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-26.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 GMD 301

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-73.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 GMD 79.1

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-39.66%

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

$2,616 GMD 191.0K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

-91.27%

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

$3,205 GMD 233.9K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

-87.85%

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

$30.89 GMD 2,255

$156 BGN 273

-80.19%

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

$14.21 GMD 1,038

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-33.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.37 GMD 3,312

$15.64 BGN 27.37

190.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.56 GMD 1,720

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-49.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.61 GMD 994

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-50.94%

Cinema Ticket

$3.37 GMD 246

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-66.37%

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

$6.59 GMD 481

$766 BGN 1,341

-99.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$136 GMD 9,921

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-98.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 GMD 4,029

$89.7 BGN 157

-38.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.48 GMD 3,174

$40.88 BGN 71.5

6.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 GMD 7,228

$106 BGN 186

-6.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 GMD 6,251

$105 BGN 183

-18.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$101 GMD 7,347

$796 BGN 1,393

-87.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$81.2 GMD 5,924

$607 BGN 1,063

-86.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$213 GMD 15.6K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-86.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 GMD 10.1K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-87.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,438 GMD 104.9K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-67.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,160 GMD 84.7K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-64.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$60.6 GMD 4,426

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-96.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

419.03%

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

Last update for Banjul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Banjul

$180 26.9%

Sofia

$256 16% 42.2% $76

Groceries & Markets

Banjul

$149 22.3%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 92.8% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Banjul

$127 19.1%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 20.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Banjul

$90 13.5%

Sofia

$193 12% 113% $102

Accommodation & Living

Banjul

$81 12.1%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 649% $526

Sport & Entertainment

Banjul

$30 4.5%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 121% $37

Getting Around

Banjul

$11 * 1.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 257% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $101 in Banjul 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 2769% 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 $73.0 in Banjul versus $67.0 in Sofia. Groceries tell a different story – $149 in Banjul vs $287 in Sofia – so Banjul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇲 Banjul

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

01:52 1:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

3 h ahead of Banjul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,356 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Gambian Dalasi GMD D

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 GMD = 1.37 USD

100 GMD = 1.22 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to GMD – Gambian Dalasi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇲 Gambian Dalasi (D)

Gambian Dalasi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 73 GMD (100 GMD = 1.37 USD). 1 EUR = 81.88 GMD (100 GMD = 1.22 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 GMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Banjul Sofia 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Banjul
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

Banjul vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 136%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,010 per month in Banjul 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 Banjul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $674 in Banjul and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 136%.

Public transport costs about 340% less in Banjul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Banjul, where all-in costs run around $674, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Banjul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Banjul. 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.