Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulgaria and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulgaria: $1,158 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Bulgaria
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Bulgaria Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

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🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,158

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Bulgaria is 12.7% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 26.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Bulgaria is 4.1% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 26.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.46 BGN 20.06

$11.78 R 194

-2.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.27 BGN 79.2

$46.55 R 768

-2.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 BGN 18.30

$5.96 R 98.4

75.50%

Cappuccino

$2.50 BGN 4.37

$2.47 R 40.80

1.21%

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

$1.63 BGN 2.85

$1.33 R 21.91

22.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 BGN 2.18

$1.03 R 16.99

20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 BGN 3.96

$3.01 R 49.72

-24.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 BGN 6.02

$3.66 R 60.4

-6.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.39 R 22.96

33.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 BGN 1.95

$1.19 R 19.60

-6.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 BGN 4.01

$2.11 R 34.84

8.53%

Eggs

$3.57 BGN 6.25

$3.01 R 49.58

18.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.41 BGN 18.21

$8.96 R 148

16.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 BGN 13.56

$6.65 R 110

16.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.23 BGN 23.15

$9.29 R 153

42.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$1.83 R 30.13

-7.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 BGN 3.51

$1.90 R 31.31

5.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 BGN 3.32

$1.75 R 28.83

8.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.72 BGN 4.77

$2.09 R 34.41

30.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

$1.55 R 25.64

-28.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 BGN 1.86

$1.49 R 24.53

-28.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 BGN 1.86

$1.30 R 21.41

-18.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 BGN 1.31

$1.16 R 19.19

-35.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 BGN 6.89

$3.71 R 61.2

6.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.93 BGN 12.12

$6.06 R 100

14.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 BGN 1.87

$1.39 R 22.85

-23.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$2.20 R 36.32

-23.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$1.51 R 24.98

-41.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.55 BGN 49.96

$61.0 R 1,006

-53.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 BGN 2.57

$0.63 R 10.33

133.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 BGN 1.25

$1.53 R 25.29

-52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.22 BGN 21.39

$4.81 R 79.4

154.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 BGN 2.83

$1.58 R 26.08

1.90%

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

$30.6K BGN 53.5K

$35.5K R 585.7K

-13.84%

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

$24.9K BGN 43.6K

$31.7K R 523.8K

-21.57%

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

$127 BGN 222

$116 R 1,920

8.92%

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

$18.66 BGN 32.66

$28.37 R 468

-34.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.78 BGN 24.12

$40.69 R 671

-66.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.58 BGN 60.5

$48.85 R 806

-29.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 BGN 31.94

$11.13 R 184

63.97%

Cinema Ticket

$8.40 BGN 14.70

$8.83 R 146

-4.87%

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

$551 BGN 964

$261 R 4,314

110.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,645 BGN 16.9K

$6,702 R 110.6K

43.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 BGN 101

$55.4 R 914

4.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.45 BGN 58.5

$32.27 R 532

3.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 BGN 155

$118 R 1,939

-24.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 BGN 155

$107 R 1,766

-17.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 BGN 823

$1,015 R 16.7K

-53.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 BGN 634

$715 R 11.8K

-49.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 BGN 1,413

$1,801 R 29.7K

-55.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 BGN 1,017

$1,330 R 22.0K

-56.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,326 BGN 4,071

$2,331 R 38.5K

-0.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,611 BGN 2,819

$1,513 R 25.0K

6.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,160 BGN 2,030

$1,636 R 27.0K

-29.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

10.97

-71.56%

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

Last update for Bulgaria: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bulgaria

$363 31.3%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 97.4% $353

Groceries & Markets

Bulgaria

$246 21.2%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 9.5% $23

Eating Out

Bulgaria

$183 15.8%

Cape Town

$174 11% 5% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulgaria

$159 13.7%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 16.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Bulgaria

$121 10.4%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 16.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Bulgaria

$51 4.4%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 29.4% $15

Getting Around

Bulgaria

$37 3.2%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 103% $38

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

1 h behind Bulgaria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,795,803

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bulgaria Cape Town 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bulgaria
Cape Town

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

Bulgaria vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulgaria and Cape Town

ZAR, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Bulgaria

Cape Town

Bulgaria

Cape Town

Bulgaria vs other spots: cost of living compared

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