Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotonou and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotonou: $901 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cotonou
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Cotonou Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Cotonou

🇧🇯 Benin

$901

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $901 in Cotonou versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Cotonou $901
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,417 in Cotonou versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Cotonou $1,417
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,933 in Cotonou versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Cotonou $1,933
Sofia $3,324

Living in Cotonou costs roughly 43% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cotonou is 33% below, Sofia is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.05 F CFA 2,954

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-70.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.47 F CFA 20.8K

$66.9 BGN 117

-46.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.56 F CFA 5,592

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-18.78%

Cappuccino

$5.21 F CFA 3,051

$3.42 BGN 5.99

52.34%

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

$1.06 F CFA 619

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-56.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 F CFA 521

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-52.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.84 F CFA 490

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-74.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 F CFA 1,497

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-43.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.07 F CFA 1,793

$1.92 BGN 3.36

59.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 F CFA 695

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-21.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 F CFA 1,070

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-17.19%

Eggs

$2.69 F CFA 1,576

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-38.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 F CFA 5,375

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-20.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 F CFA 3,180

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-38.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.04 F CFA 2,946

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-70.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 F CFA 2,372

$2.17 BGN 3.79

86.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 F CFA 1,074

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-9.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 F CFA 750

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-30.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 F CFA 1,595

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-36.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 F CFA 736

$1.03 BGN 1.80

22.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 F CFA 1,021

$0.93 BGN 1.62

87.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 F CFA 256

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-63.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 F CFA 641

$0.92 BGN 1.62

19.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 F CFA 2,037

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-19.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.18 F CFA 2,444

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-42.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 F CFA 718

$1.18 BGN 2.06

4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 F CFA 1,116

$1.87 BGN 3.28

2.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 F CFA 757

$0.87 BGN 1.52

48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 F CFA 782

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-22.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 F CFA 809

$0.96 BGN 1.68

43.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 F CFA 727

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-30.73%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

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

$24.0K F CFA 14.1M

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

-8.80%

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

$146 F CFA 85.4K

$156 BGN 273

-6.40%

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

$33.86 F CFA 19.8K

$21.21 BGN 37.11

59.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.15 F CFA 28.8K

$15.64 BGN 27.37

214.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.30 F CFA 28.8K

$46.76 BGN 81.8

5.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.44 F CFA 2,015

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-87.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.68 F CFA 5,079

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-13.37%

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

$131 F CFA 76.5K

$766 BGN 1,341

-82.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,460 F CFA 3.2M

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-57.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.96 F CFA 15.2K

$89.7 BGN 157

-71.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$33.73 F CFA 19.7K

$106 BGN 186

-68.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.9 F CFA 39.7K

$105 BGN 183

-35.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$180 F CFA 105.6K

$796 BGN 1,393

-77.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 F CFA 96.6K

$607 BGN 1,063

-72.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 F CFA 350.7K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-61.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 F CFA 240.7K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-61.20%

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)

$258 F CFA 151.0K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-85.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

38.41%

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

Last update for Cotonou: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotonou

$229 25.4%

Sofia

$193 12% 15.8% $36

Groceries & Markets

Cotonou

$221 24.5%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 30% $66

Accommodation & Living

Cotonou

$165 18.3%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 268% $442

Eating Out

Cotonou

$149 16.5%

Sofia

$256 16% 72.1% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Cotonou

$67 7.4%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 0.2% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Cotonou

$57 * 6.4%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 168% $96

Getting Around

Cotonou

$13 * 1.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 184% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $180 in Cotonou and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 574% 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: $35.00 in Cotonou vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $221 vs $287 per month, with Cotonou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇯 Cotonou

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

09:06 9:06 AM

2 h ahead of Cotonou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

780,000

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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Highest

Between locations

Cotonou Sofia 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cotonou
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

Cotonou vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cotonou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 76% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 574% 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: $180 in Cotonou versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $901 per month in Cotonou versus $1,589 in Sofia – a 76% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $901 in Cotonou versus $1,589 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cotonou but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Cotonou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cotonou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sofia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cotonou 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 Cotonou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.