Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Cairo $643
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Sofia $3,324

Cairo is about 60% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Sofia is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-72.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$66.9 BGN 117

-57.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-48.77%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-47.08%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-85.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-91.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-56.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-50.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-49.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-51.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-65.16%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-73.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-62.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-42.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-47.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-15.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-63.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-69.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-88.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-63.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$0.93 BGN 1.62

-54.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-70.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-73.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-53.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$7.33 BGN 12.83

2.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$1.18 BGN 2.06

28.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$1.87 BGN 3.28

13.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$28.14 BGN 49.24

-69.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-78.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-79.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-90.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-74.30%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

8.82%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

7.69%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$156 BGN 273

-82.34%

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

$8.27 E£432

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-61.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$15.64 BGN 27.37

-10.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-39.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-75.85%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-56.09%

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

$121 E£6,356

$766 BGN 1,341

-84.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-71.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$89.7 BGN 157

-55.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$40.88 BGN 71.5

21.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$106 BGN 186

8.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$105 BGN 183

-42.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$796 BGN 1,393

-72.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$607 BGN 1,063

-68.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-67.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-68.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-81.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-84.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-88.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

2.89

460.90%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 213% $413

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 103% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 28.5% $34

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Sofia

$256 16% 181% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Sofia

$193 12% 287% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 80.2% $30

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 236% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo 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 769% 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 $28.00 in Cairo versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $287 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

Same time as Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 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 EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Sofia 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
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

Cairo vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 147%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo 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 Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 103% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $67.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – 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 Cairo. 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.