Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Centurion and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Centurion: $1,377 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sofia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,377

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,377 in Centurion versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Centurion $1,377
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,224 in Centurion versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Centurion $2,224
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,071 in Centurion versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Centurion $3,071
Sofia $3,361

Living in Centurion costs roughly 14% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Centurion 2% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.13 R 365

$16.87 BGN 29.35

31.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.73 R 671

$65.8 BGN 115

-38.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 R 95.0

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-49.12%

Cappuccino

$2.57 R 42.33

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-25.07%

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

$0.94 R 15.52

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-61.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.35

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-52.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 R 34.57

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-43.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R 40.42

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-46.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R 20.27

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-39.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 R 20.11

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-21.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.83

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-6.87%

Eggs

$3.07 R 50.6

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-29.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.79 R 161

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-16.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-21.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 R 120

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-58.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 R 29.92

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-15.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.64

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.88

$1.93 BGN 3.37

9.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.20

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-50.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.98

$1.04 BGN 1.80

46.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.44

$0.85 BGN 1.48

117.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.24

$1.15 BGN 2.00

17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 R 23.99

$0.89 BGN 1.56

64.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 R 62.1

$4.21 BGN 7.33

-10.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 R 97.1

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-20.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 R 26.20

$1.15 BGN 2.01

38.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 R 33.27

$1.85 BGN 3.23

9.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 R 40.75

$0.87 BGN 1.51

183.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.9 R 1,613

$28.53 BGN 49.65

243.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R 20.14

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-27.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 R 20.20

$0.94 BGN 1.63

30.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.89 R 146

$15.35 BGN 26.70

-42.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.75

$1.69 BGN 2.94

-11.24%

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

$35.9K R 591.7K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

20.51%

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

$32.1K R 528.7K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

22.79%

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

$137 R 2,260

$156 BGN 272

-12.09%

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

$30.65 R 505

$21.56 BGN 37.52

42.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.07 R 660

$15.24 BGN 26.51

162.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.79 R 721

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-4.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.73 R 177

$10.18 BGN 17.72

5.40%

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

$314 R 5,174

$774 BGN 1,347

-59.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,299 R 70.8K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-66.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 R 965

$89.9 BGN 157

-34.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.75 R 721

$41.29 BGN 71.8

5.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 R 1,925

$105 BGN 183

11.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 R 1,699

$107 BGN 186

-3.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$345 R 5,689

$783 BGN 1,362

-55.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 R 6,115

$597 BGN 1,038

-37.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 R 9,479

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-62.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 R 14.8K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-13.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$518 R 8,536

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-88.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$612 R 10.1K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-80.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,342 R 38.6K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

34.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

2.89

263.32%

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

Last update for Centurion: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Centurion

$371 27%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 60.8% $226

Eating Out

Centurion

$248 18%

Sofia

$255 16% 2.8% $6.9

Groceries & Markets

Centurion

$225 16.3%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 29.1% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Centurion

$208 15.1%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 7.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Centurion

$145 10.5%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 6.4% $9.3

Getting Around

Centurion

$115 8.4%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 66.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Centurion

$65 4.7%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 1.9% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $345 in Centurion and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $41.00 in Centurion vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $290 per month, with Centurion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Centurion

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

17:58 5:58 PM

18:58 6:58 PM

1 h ahead of Centurion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,580

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Centurion Sofia 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Centurion
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

Centurion vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Centurion wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Centurion the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Centurion, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $345 in Centurion versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Centurion runs roughly 243% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $314 in Centurion versus $774 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,377 in Centurion versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Centurion but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Centurion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Centurion delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,377 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Centurion hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Centurion 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 Centurion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.