Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isiolo and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Isiolo: $545 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Isiolo
Learn more

Isiolo Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Isiolo

🇰🇪 Kenya

$545

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $545 in Isiolo versus $1,585 in Sofia.

Isiolo $545
Sofia $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $891 in Isiolo versus $2,486 in Sofia.

Isiolo $891
Sofia $2,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,238 in Isiolo versus $3,387 in Sofia.

Isiolo $1,238
Sofia $3,387

Living in Isiolo costs roughly 66% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Isiolo is 60% below, Sofia is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.36 KES 825

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-61.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.17 KES 4,437

$67.7 BGN 118

-49.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 KES 845

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-44.26%

Cappuccino

$2.64 KES 343

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-22.58%

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

$0.65 KES 84.2

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-72.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 KES 79.1

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-63.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 KES 292

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-43.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 KES 340

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-42.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 KES 113

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-55.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 KES 69.2

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-65.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 KES 253

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-17.45%

Eggs

$1.75 KES 227

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-61.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 KES 1,419

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-4.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 KES 877

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-21.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.35 KES 824

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-63.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 KES 453

$2.15 BGN 3.73

62.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 KES 133

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-47.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 KES 260

$1.83 BGN 3.18

9.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 KES 144

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-74.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 KES 144

$1.04 BGN 1.82

6.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 KES 139

$0.89 BGN 1.54

20.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 KES 94.8

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-38.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 KES 97.5

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-9.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 KES 447

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-21.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.41 KES 1,482

$7.42 BGN 12.91

53.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 KES 287

$1.16 BGN 2.01

90.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 KES 350

$1.90 BGN 3.30

41.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 KES 203

$1.67 BGN 2.90

-6.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 KES 198

$0.85 BGN 1.49

78.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 KES 384

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-82.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 KES 209

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-7.47%

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

$19.2K KES 2.5M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-35.74%

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

$22.1K KES 2.9M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-11.48%

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

$56.8 KES 7,370

$158 BGN 275

-64.04%

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

$15.24 KES 1,979

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-28.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.38 KES 4,464

$15.12 BGN 26.30

127.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 KES 978

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-24.70%

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

$278 KES 36.1K

$815 BGN 1,419

-65.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K KES 1.6M

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-16.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.76 KES 3,604

$87.1 BGN 152

-68.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.21 KES 3,793

$38.28 BGN 66.6

-23.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 KES 8,923

$106 BGN 184

-34.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.9 KES 7,521

$107 BGN 187

-45.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$771 KES 100.1K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-56.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

2.89

409.00%

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

Last update for Isiolo: November 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Isiolo

$208 38.2%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 38.2% $80

Eating Out

Isiolo

$124 22.7%

Sofia

$254 16% 105% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isiolo

$106 19.5%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 82.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Isiolo

$83 15.2%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 84.2% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Isiolo

$15 * 2.8%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 344% $52

Getting Around

Isiolo

$9.2 * 1.7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 311% $29

Accommodation & Living

Isiolo

- * 0%

Sofia

$593 37.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Sofia pays about 2.3 times 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: $34 in Isiolo vs $68 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $288 per month, with Isiolo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Isiolo

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

1 h behind Isiolo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,989

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 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 KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Isiolo Sofia 4,920 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Isiolo
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

Isiolo vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isiolo wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Isiolo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Isiolo. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $545 per month in Isiolo versus $1,585 in Sofia – Isiolo is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $545 in Isiolo versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $800 budget is realistic in Isiolo but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Isiolo 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.

It comes down to priorities – Isiolo wins on affordability, Sofia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.