Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gampaha and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Gampaha: $450 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Gampaha
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Gampaha Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Gampaha

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$450

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $450 in Gampaha versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Gampaha $450
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $765 in Gampaha versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Gampaha $765
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,079 in Gampaha versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Gampaha $1,079
Sofia $3,361

Living in Gampaha costs roughly 72% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gampaha is 67% below, Sofia is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.81 LKR 600

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-89.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.00 LKR 5,961

$65.8 BGN 115

-72.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 LKR 1,723

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-54.06%

Cappuccino

$1.25 LKR 414

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-63.56%

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

$0.54 LKR 178

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-77.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.7

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-85.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 LKR 705

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-42.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 LKR 1,007

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-33.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 538

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-19.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.43 LKR 144

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-72.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 LKR 241

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-68.67%

Eggs

$1.72 LKR 569

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-60.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.52 LKR 4,480

$11.76 BGN 20.47

14.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 LKR 1,312

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-55.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.23 LKR 2,394

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-58.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 LKR 1,961

$2.15 BGN 3.74

175.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-59.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 LKR 1,461

$1.93 BGN 3.37

128.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 LKR 420

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-70.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 LKR 318

$1.04 BGN 1.80

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 257

$0.85 BGN 1.48

-8.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 LKR 95.7

$1.15 BGN 2.00

-74.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 LKR 104

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-64.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 LKR 3,294

$4.21 BGN 7.33

136.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.77 LKR 4,231

$7.46 BGN 12.98

71.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 LKR 457

$1.15 BGN 2.01

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 LKR 784

$1.85 BGN 3.23

28.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 LKR 103

$0.87 BGN 1.51

-64.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 LKR 95.8

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-82.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 LKR 120

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-61.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 LKR 297

$15.35 BGN 26.70

-94.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 LKR 390

$1.69 BGN 2.94

-30.18%

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

$29.9K LKR 9.9M

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

0.28%

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

$40.2K LKR 13.3M

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

53.77%

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

$27.63 LKR 9,153

$156 BGN 272

-82.30%

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

$2.98 LKR 985

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-86.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.84 LKR 3,591

$15.24 BGN 26.51

-28.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.56 LKR 2,504

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-83.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$4.44 LKR 1,472

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-56.39%

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

$15.07 LKR 4,991

$774 BGN 1,347

-98.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$122 LKR 40.4K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-99.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.88 LKR 5,924

$89.9 BGN 157

-80.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.90 LKR 2,948

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-78.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 LKR 20.3K

$105 BGN 183

-41.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.29 LKR 8,044

$107 BGN 186

-77.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$89.4 LKR 29.6K

$783 BGN 1,362

-88.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$55.5 LKR 18.4K

$597 BGN 1,038

-90.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$301 LKR 99.8K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-80.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 LKR 55.4K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-83.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$225 LKR 74.4K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-87.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

246.02%

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

Last update for Gampaha: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gampaha

$217 48.4%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 33.6% $73

Eating Out

Gampaha

$65 14.5%

Sofia

$255 16% 292% $190

Accommodation & Living

Gampaha

$55 12.3%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 976% $541

Clothing & Footwear

Gampaha

$51 11.3%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 205% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gampaha

$41 9.2%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 365% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Gampaha

$16 3.7%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 304% $50

Getting Around

Gampaha

$3.3 * 0.7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 1049% $35

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 $89.4 in Gampaha and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 672% 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: $18.00 in Gampaha vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $290 per month, with Gampaha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Gampaha

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

14:25 2:25 PM

2 h 30 min behind Gampaha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Gampaha Sofia 6,790 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Gampaha
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

Gampaha vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gampaha and Sofia differ by about 254% in total monthly costs ($450 vs $1,594 including rent). Gampaha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 672% 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: $89.4 in Gampaha versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $15.07 in Gampaha versus $774 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gampaha – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $66.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $450 in Gampaha versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gampaha but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Gampaha the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Gampaha 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 Gampaha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 254% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.