Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dar es Salaam and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Dar es Salaam: $701 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Dar es Salaam
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Dar es Salaam Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Dar es Salaam

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$701

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $701 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $701
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,114 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $1,114
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $1,527 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $1,527
Sofia $3,387

Dar es Salaam is about 56% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dar es Salaam sits 48% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.85 TZS 4,854

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-88.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.91 TZS 49.7K

$67.7 BGN 118

-72.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 TZS 19.8K

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-35.45%

Cappuccino

$1.93 TZS 5,069

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-43.40%

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

$0.37 TZS 981

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-84.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 TZS 525

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-88.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.91 TZS 2,397

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-77.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 TZS 4,938

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-58.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 TZS 2,219

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-56.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 TZS 1,601

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-60.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 TZS 2,888

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-53.19%

Eggs

$1.94 TZS 5,105

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-57.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 TZS 24.5K

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-18.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 TZS 12.9K

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-43.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.96 TZS 10.4K

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-77.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 TZS 6,504

$2.15 BGN 3.73

14.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 TZS 2,803

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-45.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 TZS 2,691

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-44.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.91 TZS 2,387

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-78.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 TZS 2,510

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-8.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 TZS 2,707

$0.89 BGN 1.54

15.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 TZS 2,168

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-31.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 TZS 1,013

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-53.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 TZS 5,322

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-54.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.99 TZS 18.4K

$7.42 BGN 12.91

-5.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 TZS 2,289

$1.16 BGN 2.01

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 TZS 4,209

$1.90 BGN 3.30

-15.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 TZS 628

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-73.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.01 TZS 39.5K

$28.11 BGN 48.91

-46.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 TZS 4,462

$1.67 BGN 2.90

1.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 TZS 4,084

$0.85 BGN 1.49

82.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.48 TZS 35.4K

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-18.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 TZS 3,675

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-19.54%

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

$17.0K TZS 44.7M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-43.18%

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

$26.2K TZS 68.8M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

4.60%

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

$57.6 TZS 151.3K

$158 BGN 275

-63.54%

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

$8.92 TZS 23.4K

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-58.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.59 TZS 90.9K

$15.12 BGN 26.30

128.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.5 TZS 219.6K

$46.85 BGN 81.5

78.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.19 TZS 26.8K

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-63.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.21 TZS 13.7K

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-47.90%

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

$569 TZS 1.5M

$815 BGN 1,419

-30.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K TZS 37.7M

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-1.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.19 TZS 39.9K

$87.1 BGN 152

-82.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.19 TZS 68.8K

$38.28 BGN 66.6

-31.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.57 TZS 114.5K

$106 BGN 184

-58.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 TZS 156.1K

$107 BGN 187

-44.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 TZS 1.4M

$769 BGN 1,338

-30.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 TZS 502.9K

$593 BGN 1,032

-67.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 TZS 3.6M

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-11.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 TZS 1.2M

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-58.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,504 TZS 4.0M

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-66.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,091 TZS 2.9M

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-64.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$284 TZS 745.6K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-84.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

2.89

531.49%

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

Last update for Dar es Salaam: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dar es Salaam

$191 27.3%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 210% $402

Groceries & Markets

Dar es Salaam

$153 21.8%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 88.3% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dar es Salaam

$101 14.4%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 92.2% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Dar es Salaam

$94 13.4%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 28.8% $27

Eating Out

Dar es Salaam

$71 10.2%

Sofia

$254 16% 257% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Dar es Salaam

$65 9.3%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 134% $87

Getting Around

Dar es Salaam

$25 3.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 48.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $533 in Dar es Salaam versus $769 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 in Sofia are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Dar es Salaam versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $153 vs $288 – making Dar es Salaam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Dar es Salaam

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

14:15 2:15 PM

13:15 1:15 PM

1 h behind Dar es Salaam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,383,728

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.8 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.39 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2,629 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.8 USD). 1 EUR = 2,953 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.39 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dar es Salaam Sofia 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Dar es Salaam
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

Dar es Salaam vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 126%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,051 per month in Dar es Salaam and $2,378 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dar es Salaam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $533 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Kindergarten costs $569 per month in Dar es Salaam and $815 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 88% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dar es Salaam, where all-in costs run around $701, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Dar es Salaam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dar es Salaam – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Dar es Salaam. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.