Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bissau and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $837 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$837

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $837 in Bissau versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Bissau $837
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,352 in Bissau versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Bissau $1,352
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,868 in Bissau versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Bissau $1,868
Sofia $3,324

Living in Bissau costs roughly 47% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bissau is 38% below, Sofia is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.33 F CFA 3,120

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-68.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.69 F CFA 15.0K

$66.9 BGN 117

-61.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 F CFA 5,560

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-19.29%

Cappuccino

$1.75 F CFA 1,023

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-48.83%

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

$1.03 F CFA 600

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-57.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 F CFA 487

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-55.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.71 F CFA 413

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-78.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 F CFA 992

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-11.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 F CFA 587

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-33.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 F CFA 1,184

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-8.60%

Eggs

$5.29 F CFA 3,093

$4.40 BGN 7.69

20.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.63 F CFA 8,561

$11.56 BGN 20.22

26.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.73 F CFA 8,033

$8.79 BGN 15.38

56.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 F CFA 8,193

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-17.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 F CFA 2,608

$2.17 BGN 3.79

105.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 F CFA 622

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-48.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 F CFA 2,558

$1.84 BGN 3.22

137.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.15 F CFA 85.3

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-96.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 F CFA 829

$1.03 BGN 1.80

37.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 F CFA 830

$0.93 BGN 1.62

52.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 F CFA 753

$0.92 BGN 1.62

40.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

Wine (Bottle)

$6.94 F CFA 4,062

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-5.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 F CFA 749

$1.18 BGN 2.06

8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 F CFA 499

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 F CFA 294

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-42.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.49 F CFA 14.9K

$28.14 BGN 49.24

-9.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 F CFA 868

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-17.32%

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

$31.7K F CFA 18.6M

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

5.80%

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

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

9.74%

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

$105 F CFA 61.5K

$156 BGN 273

-32.57%

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

$34.41 F CFA 20.1K

$21.21 BGN 37.11

62.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.15 F CFA 26.4K

$15.64 BGN 27.37

188.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.73 F CFA 25.6K

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-6.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

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

$759 F CFA 444.1K

$766 BGN 1,341

-0.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,319 F CFA 1.4M

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-81.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$528 F CFA 309.1K

$796 BGN 1,393

-33.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 F CFA 100.1K

$607 BGN 1,063

-71.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 F CFA 507.3K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-44.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 F CFA 250.8K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-59.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 F CFA 601.9K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-40.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

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

Last update for Bissau: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bissau

–

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Groceries & Markets

Bissau

–

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Eating Out

Bissau

–

Sofia

$256 16%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bissau

–

Sofia

$193 12%

Clothing & Footwear

Bissau

–

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Bissau

–

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Getting Around

Bissau

–

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $528 in Bissau and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 69% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $26.00 in Bissau vs $67.0 in Sofia. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $287, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇼 Bissau

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

09:06 9:06 AM

3 h ahead of Bissau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

395,954 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 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 XOF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bissau Sofia 5,080 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bissau
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

Bissau vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bissau and Sofia differ by about 90% in total monthly costs ($837 vs $1,589 including rent). Bissau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Sofia. 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: $528 in Bissau versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $759 in Bissau versus $766 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Sofia pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $837 in Bissau versus $1,589 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Bissau and Sofia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bissau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.