Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ethiopia: $1,213 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ethiopia
Sofia, Bulgaria
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
$1,213
/mo nomad
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,585
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Ethiopia is 12.6% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 23.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Ethiopia is 27.3% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 27.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ethiopia
Sofia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.03 ETB 648
$16.57 BGN 28.84
-75.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.86 ETB 6,731
$67.7 BGN 118
-38.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.65 ETB 1,069
$11.68 BGN 20.33
-43.07%
Cappuccino
$0.88 ETB 142
$3.41 BGN 5.93
-74.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.61 ETB 97.8
$2.36 BGN 4.11
-74.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.61 ETB 97.9
$1.67 BGN 2.91
-63.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.88 ETB 142
$3.99 BGN 6.94
-77.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 ETB 317
$4.53 BGN 7.88
-56.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ethiopia
Sofia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.08 ETB 174
$1.94 BGN 3.38
-44.33%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ETB 144
$1.55 BGN 2.70
-42.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.65 ETB 265
$2.35 BGN 4.09
-29.79%
Eggs
$1.88 ETB 302
$4.60 BGN 8.00
-59.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.51 ETB 1,207
$11.47 BGN 19.96
-34.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.51 ETB 1,690
$8.65 BGN 15.04
21.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.22 ETB 1,644
$17.34 BGN 30.17
-41.06%
Apples (1kg)
$4.35 ETB 700
$2.15 BGN 3.73
102.33%
Banana (1kg)
$0.78 ETB 125
$1.98 BGN 3.45
-60.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.35 ETB 378
$1.83 BGN 3.18
28.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.64 ETB 102
$4.27 BGN 7.43
-85.01%
Potato (1kg)
$0.51 ETB 81.4
$1.04 BGN 1.82
-50.96%
Onion (1kg)
$1.41 ETB 227
$0.89 BGN 1.54
58.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.76 ETB 122
$1.19 BGN 2.06
-36.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 ETB 99.2
$0.83 BGN 1.45
-25.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.03 ETB 1,291
$4.40 BGN 7.66
82.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.17 ETB 831
$7.42 BGN 12.91
-30.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 ETB 127
$1.16 BGN 2.01
-31.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 ETB 230
$1.90 BGN 3.30
-24.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Ethiopia
Sofia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 ETB 55.2
$0.92 BGN 1.60
-63.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.17 ETB 2,761
$28.11 BGN 48.91
-38.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ETB 217
$1.67 BGN 2.90
-19.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.29 ETB 46.64
$0.85 BGN 1.49
-65.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.04 ETB 329
$16.59 BGN 28.87
-87.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.93 ETB 150
$1.74 BGN 3.03
-46.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$52.8K ETB 8.5M
$29.9K BGN 52.1K
76.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$56.0K ETB 9.0M
$25.0K BGN 43.5K
123.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ethiopia
Sofia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 ETB 23.1K
$158 BGN 275
-8.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.46 ETB 1,521
$21.27 BGN 37.01
-55.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$232 ETB 37.2K
$15.12 BGN 26.30
1431.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ethiopia
Sofia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.92 ETB 6,902
$46.85 BGN 81.5
-8.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$36.19 ETB 5,819
$27.82 BGN 48.41
30.09%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 ETB 821
$10.00 BGN 17.39
-49.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ethiopia
Sofia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$629 ETB 101.1K
$815 BGN 1,419
-22.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.0K ETB 3.2M
$14.6K BGN 25.5K
36.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ethiopia
Sofia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.49 ETB 5,706
$87.1 BGN 152
-59.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.6 ETB 10.1K
$38.28 BGN 66.6
63.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.2 ETB 14.5K
$106 BGN 184
-14.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.0 ETB 15.3K
$107 BGN 187
-11.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ethiopia
Sofia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$652 ETB 104.9K
$769 BGN 1,338
-15.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$340 ETB 54.7K
$593 BGN 1,032
-42.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,813 ETB 291.5K
$1,530 BGN 2,662
18.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$721 ETB 115.9K
$1,061 BGN 1,846
-32.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,830 ETB 294.3K
$4,526 BGN 7,875
-59.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,034 ETB 166.3K
$3,109 BGN 5,410
-66.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ethiopia
Sofia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$212 ETB 34.1K
$1,780 BGN 3,098
-88.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17
2.89
488.24%

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

Last update for Ethiopia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ethiopia
$385
Sofia
$194 49.5% $191
Accommodation & Living
Ethiopia
$340
Sofia
$593 74.5% $253
Groceries & Markets
Ethiopia
$211
Sofia
$288 36.7% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Ethiopia
$127
Sofia
$152 19.4% $25
Eating Out
Ethiopia
$76
Sofia
$254 234% $178
Sport & Entertainment
Ethiopia
$53
Sofia
$67 25.8% $14
Getting Around
Ethiopia
$21
Sofia
$38 76.8% $16
Good to know
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
🇧🇬 Sofia
🕒 Local time
02:41 2:41 AM
01:41 1:41 AM
1 h behind Ethiopia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
128,691,692
1,286,383 Capital
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 181 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ethiopia Sofia 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ethiopia
  • 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

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