Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gabes and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Gabes: $518 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Gabes
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$518
/mo nomad
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,594
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $518 per month in Gabes vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Gabes $518
  • Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $827 per month in Gabes vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Gabes $827
  • Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $1,136 per month in Gabes vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Gabes $1,136
  • Sofia $3,361

Gabes is about 68% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Gabes sits 62% below the global median, while Sofia is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gabes
Sofia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.70 TND 8.08
$16.87 BGN 29.35
-84.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.86 TND 50.5
$65.8 BGN 115
-74.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.44 TND 10.29
$11.32 BGN 19.69
-69.61%
Cappuccino
$0.78 TND 2.34
$3.43 BGN 5.98
-77.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 TND 1.93
$2.41 BGN 4.19
-73.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.25 TND 0.75
$1.85 BGN 3.22
-86.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.16 TND 3.46
$3.70 BGN 6.44
-68.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 TND 4.59
$4.58 BGN 7.97
-66.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gabes
Sofia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.43 TND 1.30
$2.02 BGN 3.51
-78.71%
White Bread (500g)
$0.25 TND 0.75
$1.56 BGN 2.72
-83.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.76 TND 5.26
$2.33 BGN 4.05
-24.46%
Eggs
$1.48 TND 4.44
$4.36 BGN 7.59
-66.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.23 TND 36.63
$11.76 BGN 20.47
4.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.60 TND 16.76
$8.83 BGN 15.37
-36.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.82 TND 44.39
$17.46 BGN 30.38
-15.12%
Apples (1kg)
$1.61 TND 4.83
$2.15 BGN 3.74
-25.12%
Banana (1kg)
$2.92 TND 8.75
$1.98 BGN 3.44
47.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.92 TND 2.75
$1.93 BGN 3.37
-52.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.87 TND 2.60
$4.24 BGN 7.37
-79.48%
Potato (1kg)
$0.95 TND 2.84
$1.04 BGN 1.80
-8.65%
Onion (1kg)
$0.57 TND 1.70
$0.85 BGN 1.48
-32.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.34 TND 1.02
$1.15 BGN 2.00
-70.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.29 TND 0.86
$0.89 BGN 1.56
-67.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.31 TND 9.92
$4.21 BGN 7.33
-21.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.42 TND 10.23
$7.46 BGN 12.98
-54.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 TND 2.01
$1.15 BGN 2.01
-41.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 TND 2.45
$1.85 BGN 3.23
-55.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Gabes
Sofia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.19 TND 0.56
$0.87 BGN 1.51
-78.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.85 TND 20.53
$28.53 BGN 49.65
-75.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.31 TND 0.94
$1.68 BGN 2.93
-81.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.18 TND 0.53
$0.94 BGN 1.63
-80.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.92 TND 11.73
$15.35 BGN 26.70
-74.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.87 TND 2.61
$1.69 BGN 2.94
-48.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.9K TND 116.4K
$29.8K BGN 51.9K
30.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.0K TND 83.8K
$26.1K BGN 45.5K
7.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gabes
Sofia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$42.91 TND 129
$156 BGN 272
-72.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.75 TND 23.20
$21.56 BGN 37.52
-64.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.73 TND 50.1
$15.24 BGN 26.51
9.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gabes
Sofia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.56 TND 94.5
$46.08 BGN 80.2
-31.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.61 TND 13.81
$27.92 BGN 48.58
-83.49%
Cinema Ticket
$3.31 TND 9.93
$10.18 BGN 17.72
-67.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gabes
Sofia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$56.0 TND 168
$774 BGN 1,347
-92.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,951 TND 5,843
$12.8K BGN 22.3K
-84.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gabes
Sofia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.42 TND 97.1
$89.9 BGN 157
-63.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.92 TND 120
$41.29 BGN 71.8
-3.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.9 TND 227
$105 BGN 183
-27.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$66.2 TND 198
$107 BGN 186
-37.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gabes
Sofia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$115 TND 344
$783 BGN 1,362
-85.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$70.2 TND 210
$597 BGN 1,038
-88.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$204 TND 611
$1,516 BGN 2,638
-86.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$116 TND 348
$1,030 BGN 1,792
-88.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$945 TND 2,832
$4,350 BGN 7,568
-78.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$620 TND 1,856
$3,177 BGN 5,528
-80.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gabes
Sofia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$418 TND 1,251
$1,735 BGN 3,019
-75.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12
2.89
315.22%

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

Last update for Gabes: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Gabes
$183
Sofia
$290 58.6% $107
Clothing & Footwear
Gabes
$97
Sofia
$154 59.9% $58
Accommodation & Living
Gabes
$70
Sofia
$597 750% $527
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gabes
$67
Sofia
$193 186% $126
Eating Out
Gabes
$54
Sofia
$255 375% $201
Sport & Entertainment
Gabes
$38
Sofia
$66 74% $28
Getting Around
Gabes
$8.8
Sofia
$38 336% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $115 in Gabes versus $783 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 315% 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 $17.00 in Gabes versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $290 – making Gabes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇳 Gabes
🇧🇬 Sofia
🕒 Local time
23:16 11:16 PM
01:16 1:16 AM
2 h ahead of Gabes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
130,984
1,286,383 Capital
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gabes Sofia 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Gabes
  • 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
Gabes vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sofia cheaper than Gabes?
Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 208%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $777 per month in Gabes and $2,391 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Gabes, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $56.0 per month in Gabes and $774 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Gabes and in Sofia?
Groceries cost about 59% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Gabes or in Sofia?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gabes, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Gabes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Gabes or Sofia more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Gabes – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Gabes or Sofia?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Gabes. 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.

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