Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $488 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$488

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $488 in Kabul versus $1,585 in Sofia.

Kabul $488
Sofia $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $664 in Kabul versus $2,486 in Sofia.

Kabul $664
Sofia $2,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $839 in Kabul versus $3,387 in Sofia.

Kabul $839
Sofia $3,387

Living in Kabul costs roughly 69% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kabul is 64% below, Sofia is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.83 ؋184

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-82.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.79 ؋506

$67.7 BGN 118

-88.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.59 ؋298

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-60.70%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 ؋147

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$1.13 ؋73.2

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-66.86%

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

$0.46 ؋29.77

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-80.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ؋9.70

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-91.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ؋52.8

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-58.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.31

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-83.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 ؋121

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-20.85%

Eggs

$1.57 ؋102

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-65.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.39 ؋285

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-61.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 ؋253

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-55.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 ؋436

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-61.30%

Apples (1kg)

$0.69 ؋44.68

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-67.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 ؋55.5

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-57.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 ؋62.2

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-47.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.64

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-87.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ؋42.18

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ؋30.73

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-47.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.67

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-74.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ؋25.15

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-53.01%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 ؋121

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋49.05

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ؋67.9

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ؋157

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-45.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ؋8.65

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-85.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.09 ؋525

$28.11 BGN 48.91

-71.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 ؋136

$1.67 BGN 2.90

25.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ؋29.22

$0.85 BGN 1.49

-47.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 ؋171

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-84.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ؋71.8

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-36.21%

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

$8,558 ؋556.0K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-71.41%

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

$34.0K ؋2.2M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

35.74%

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

$42.10 ؋2,735

$158 BGN 275

-73.33%

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

$12.70 ؋825

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-40.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.2 ؋6,187

$15.12 BGN 26.30

529.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.29 ؋734

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-75.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.11 ؋267

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-85.23%

Cinema Ticket

$2.33 ؋151

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-76.70%

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

$20.27 ؋1,317

$815 BGN 1,419

-97.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,131 ؋138.5K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-85.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.78 ؋700

$87.1 BGN 152

-87.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.98 ؋1,038

$38.28 BGN 66.6

-58.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.3 ؋3,725

$106 BGN 184

-45.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.02 ؋1,626

$107 BGN 187

-76.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 ؋8,133

$769 BGN 1,338

-83.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$107 ؋6,934

$593 BGN 1,032

-82.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ؋14.2K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-85.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 ؋7,513

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-89.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$678 ؋44.0K

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-85.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$356 ؋23.1K

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-88.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$344 ؋22.4K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-80.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

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

Last update for Kabul: 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

Kabul

$150 30.7%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 29.5% $44

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$107 21.9%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 456% $486

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$101 20.7%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 185% $187

Eating Out

Kabul

$52 10.7%

Sofia

$254 16% 384% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$49 10.1%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 210% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.3%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 319% $51

Getting Around

Kabul

$13 2.7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 191% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $125 in Kabul and $769 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $8 in Kabul vs $68 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $288 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

04:11 4:11 AM

01:41 1:41 AM

2 h 30 min behind Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 64.97 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.93 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 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).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kabul Sofia 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kabul
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

Kabul vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $488 in Kabul and $1,585 in Sofia, so Kabul is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Kabul. 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: $125 in Kabul versus $769 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kabul runs roughly 71% less than in Sofia. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $20 in Kabul versus $815 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $488 in Kabul versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Kabul 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.

Expats usually find Kabul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.