Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kairouan and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Kairouan: $634 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Kairouan
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Kairouan Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Kairouan

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$634

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $634 per month in Kairouan vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Kairouan $634
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $975 per month in Kairouan vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Kairouan $975
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $1,316 per month in Kairouan vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Kairouan $1,316
Sofia $3,361

Kairouan is about 60% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kairouan sits 53% below the global median, while Sofia is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 TND 7.96

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-84.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.64 TND 46.83

$65.8 BGN 115

-76.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.17 TND 18.49

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-45.49%

Cappuccino

$0.96 TND 2.87

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-72.01%

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

$0.80 TND 2.39

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-66.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 TND 1.20

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-78.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 TND 5.11

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-53.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 TND 7.92

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-42.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.45 TND 1.36

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-77.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.07 TND 0.22

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-95.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 TND 5.25

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-24.89%

Eggs

$1.49 TND 4.45

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-65.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 TND 29.97

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-14.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.42 TND 16.22

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-38.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.92 TND 35.70

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-31.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 TND 6.57

$2.15 BGN 3.74

1.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 TND 6.82

$1.98 BGN 3.44

15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 TND 3.38

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-41.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 TND 2.30

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-81.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 TND 1.94

$1.04 BGN 1.80

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 TND 1.86

$0.85 BGN 1.48

-27.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 TND 1.57

$1.15 BGN 2.00

-53.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 TND 0.78

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-70.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.34 TND 10.00

$4.21 BGN 7.33

-20.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 TND 20.52

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-8.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 TND 3.84

$1.15 BGN 2.01

11.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 TND 4.63

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-16.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 TND 0.95

$0.87 BGN 1.51

-63.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.94 TND 29.77

$28.53 BGN 49.65

-65.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 TND 0.86

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-82.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 TND 1.00

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-63.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 TND 5.27

$15.35 BGN 26.70

-88.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 TND 2.39

$1.69 BGN 2.94

-52.66%

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

$39.1K TND 117.1K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

31.20%

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

$36.1K TND 108.3K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

38.31%

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

$60.0 TND 180

$156 BGN 272

-61.58%

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

$9.27 TND 27.77

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-57.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.01 TND 59.9

$15.24 BGN 26.51

31.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.03 TND 69.0

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-50.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.53 TND 37.53

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-55.12%

Cinema Ticket

$4.59 TND 13.75

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-54.91%

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

$106 TND 317

$774 BGN 1,347

-86.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,221 TND 9,647

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-74.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.58 TND 70.6

$89.9 BGN 157

-73.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 TND 183

$41.29 BGN 71.8

47.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.83 TND 140

$105 BGN 183

-55.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.5 TND 262

$107 BGN 186

-17.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$116 TND 347

$783 BGN 1,362

-85.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 TND 463

$597 BGN 1,038

-74.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$372 TND 1,115

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-75.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 TND 812

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-73.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$953 TND 2,855

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-78.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$609 TND 1,825

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-80.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$320 TND 959

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-81.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.28

2.89

255.71%

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

Last update for Kairouan: 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

Kairouan

$176 27.7%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 65.3% $115

Accommodation & Living

Kairouan

$155 24.4%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 286% $442

Clothing & Footwear

Kairouan

$99 15.6%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 56.6% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kairouan

$89 14.1%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 116% $104

Eating Out

Kairouan

$70 11%

Sofia

$255 16% 265% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Kairouan

$32 5.1%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 106% $34

Getting Around

Kairouan

$13 2.1%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 191% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $116 in Kairouan 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 442% 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 $16.00 in Kairouan versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $290 – making Kairouan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Kairouan

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

2 h ahead of Kairouan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,070

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

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

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kairouan Sofia 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kairouan
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

Kairouan vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $634 in Kairouan, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 152% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $950 per month in Kairouan and $2,391 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kairouan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 187% less in Kairouan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $106 per month in Kairouan and $774 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kairouan, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Kairouan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $634 in Kairouan to $1,594 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Kairouan. 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.